Outta This World
by WingsOfMorphius
Summary: Dumped by Kwan for Paulina, Star finds herself all alone. But when Danny is forced to change in front of her, she comes up with the perfect revenge against her former friend... at least until love got in the way. -Discontinued-
1. Polar

**WoM- _Yeah, I'm starting this one up now. I've had a lot of people asking about this, so I figured it should be the next new one I get up. Tomorrow I'm putting up Ghost Town and after that I'll update MoC. _PLEASE_ don't start with me about my updates right now, my dad and I are at war over my e-mail rights and I'm really not in the mood to have people demanding I update specific stories. Once again, I don't own anything. If I did, Danny Phantom would continue until I was old and gray. _**

**_And big thanks to moonymonster for betaing this for me! Considering the fact that she's my sole beta at this time because of the stupid block my dad has on my e-mails, I think it's safe to pity her._**

* * *

_"Man will do many things to get himself loved; he will do all things to get himself envied."_

_**- Mark Twain**_

* * *

**Polar**

Make-up, _check._

Clothes, _check._

Hair, _check._

Purse, _check._

Backpack…backpack… 

"Mo-_om_!" Star wailed, throwing her door open and leaning over the banister that separated the second floor from the first. "Where'd my backpack go?"

"Check your room, sweetie." her mother called back in a tired tone. Star huffed irritably at the lack of aid.

"I already did!" she growled out. "It's not in there!"

"That's because Hector took it." Turning around, Star frowned at her little sister, who was lounging on the floor of the bedroom both girls shared as she read a book. She didn't even glancing up at Star as she turned the page, though she continued to address her. "I think he's going to add it to his shrine." Star rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Why me?" she griped, storming across the hall to her brother's room and barging in without knocking. Finding the younger boy in front of her, Star rested her hands against her hips to give Hector her most scathing glare. "Give me back my backpack, dweeb. **_NOW_**."

"But it's sacred!" Hector protested, glaring right back at his sister with heavily lined eyes. "Danny Phantom fell on it when he was fighting a ghost! What if some of his sweat landed on it or something?" the glare turned into a grimace at the visual her brother had just provided her with.

_Ew._

"Look, I don't care, okay?" Star snapped, grabbing her backpack from the strange assortment of items her brother had gathered, "I just want to get to school with enough time to hang out with my friends before class, and I don't need to put up with your freaky collection right now!"

"Hey!" Hector said, glaring after her as he pulled on one of his combat boots. "My collection isn't freaky! Besides, ghost stuff is a lot cooler then what you do all day."

"What do you know about what I do all day?" Star asked, sounding a little annoyed as she threw her book bag over one shoulder and headed for the door. She stopped when her brother started speaking again, in a high-pitched voice that was clearly a (bad) mockery of her own.

_"Like, can you believe Dash had to go on that trip to Washington for the summer? It's TOTALLY gonna be a gazillion times more boring without him! And you were supposed to go to that Gala with him, too, weren't you Paulina? The one you have to have a date for? Now you've gotta find someone new to go with!"_ flushing angrily, Star turned with a sweep of her long blonde hair to glare murder at the boy she'd been forced to live with for the past twelve years of her life.

"You rotten little RAT!" she screeched as she advanced upon her little brother, trying to figure out where to hit him so it would hurt the most. "You horrible excuse for a pet monkey! I can't BELIEVE you'd listen in on my private phone conversations!"

"Star!" the blonde heard her mother call up, "Hector! Callisto! You kids have five minutes to get out the door! And I'm not driving you this morning, Star, so don't ask!" huffing, Star gave her brother a bitter look.

"You lucked out this time, brat." she said darkly, turning and rushing down the stairs with her brother and sister at her heels.

"Bye mom!" Star called absently as she left, trotting down the driveway at a leisurely pace. Heading down the sidewalk to the bus stop, Star made a face and groaned mentally when her little brother and sister fall into step on either sides of her.

It wasn't that she hated her younger siblings, they were tolerable in small doses, but she couldn't help but wonder sometimes how she was related to the twins her mother insisted shared the exact same genes with her.

Her sister Callie was declared a genius at the age of four, and could have skipped to start school a grade ahead of Star, if it wasn't for the fact that their mother was concerned about her welfare in that kind of situation. Not that she wasn't isolated and mercilessly teased in the grade she was already in, but it'd probably be worse if she was getting better grades then people three years older then her on the exact same work.

Hector had also lucked out as far as brains went, but unlike his twin he wasn't a devoted student, preferring to spend his time in school trying to drive as many teachers insane as he could. So far, three of them actually had to be taken away in straight jackets and if Hector's bragging was to be believed, seven more were on their way after them.

Recently, though, the younger to the twins had become obsessed with current events; namely the ghosts haunting their otherwise normal city. Especially the mysterious Danny Phantom, ghost-boy superhero of Amity Park. He's made it his mission in life to collect as many ghost-related things as he could, to study them and find out more about the paranormal beings.

Hence the backpack crisis that morning…

Star was dragged from her thoughts by a blaring horn, and she couldn't help but grin flirtatiously as a red convertible pulling up next to her, crawling to a stop as the driver grinned right back.

"Star!" Kwan said, turning his radio off and waving cheerfully at the girl, who gave a cute giggle as she returned the gesture.

"Hey, Kwan!" she responded brightly, her grin becoming a little more forced when she heard Hector making a gagging noise behind her. She was gonna kill him for that later…

"What's a pretty girl like you doing walking to school?" the jock flirted as he opened the passenger-side door. "How 'bout a ride?" Star was about to respond when she felt an urgent tug on her shirt from behind.

"Star…" Callie hissed to her older sister, frowning self-righteously. "You know you're not allowed to ride with your friends if an adult's not in the car!" Rolling her eyes, Star jerked free from her sister's grip and climbed into her boyfriend's car.

_Goody-goody._ she snorted in distain as she closed the door and threw her backpack in the backseat. She was just adjusting her seatbelt when Kwan took off, leaving Hector and Callie in their dust.

"Anyways, did you hear about Dash?" Kwan called to Star over the wind that was mussing the hair she'd worked long and hard to perfect that morning.

"Yeah," Star called back, sighing slightly. "It's too bad he's gonna miss the Gala, huh?"

"Tell me about it." Kwan agreed. "I mean, he's gonna forfeit his award and everything!"

The Annual Amity Gala was the biggest, more formal event in the town. It was a weekend-long party held on an extravagant cruise ship, where they recognized some of the richest, most influential people in Amity Park. You couldn't even get on the boat if you didn't have an invitation or weren't dating someone who did, and the guest list was the depiction of exclusive.

Kwan and Dash had both been invited to attend, since Dash had been nominated as Most Influential Teen in Amity Park and they both were up for the Best Teen Athlete. Everyone knew Dash had the BTA award in the bag before he had to go to Washington for tryouts for a football scholarship into college, but now that he was gone Kwan stood a fair chance of actually winning since you had to be there to claim your trophy to actually qualify for the award. Still, nobody expected the popular jock to win MIT.

"I know, that really sucks." Star nodded her agreement. "But I guess it's worth it, if he gets into that college on a free ride. I just feel bad for Paulina, since she can't go now that her date's not going. I mean, she had a dress picked out and everything."

Actually, Paulina had her dress picked out since before Dash even asked her to be his date, since she had been determined to get to the Gala by hook or by crook. Anything else would be criminal after all, since the pretty and charismatic Hispanic girl relished in parties like the Annual Gala. Not to mention the particularly interesting guest list this year…

"Come on, Star." Kwan laughed as he pulled into the school parking lot. "That's Paulina you're talking about. She'll have another guy before the day's over!" Star frowned a little at that, a twinge of jealousy striking her at the look in Kwan's eyes as he said this. She shoved it back down as her boyfriend parked, assuring herself that like so many other boys in Casper High, Kwan's crush on Paulina would never get out of the 'fantasies' category.

"Guess you're right." Star said loudly to bring Kwan back to earth. "I mean, Danny Phantom's gonna be there too, and everyone knows nothing stands between Paulina and the ghost-boy."

"Tell me about it." Kwan grumped as the couple left the car. "You know for a dead guy, that Phantom's one lucky dude." Star giggled slightly at that as she and Kwan walked into the school.

"Well he deserves it, everything considered." she said brightly. "After all, any guy who can turn hazmat into a fashion statement is definitely boyfriend material."

"Hey!" Kwan protested with a hurt look on his face. "What's wrong with the way I look in a jumpsuit?"

"Nothing." Sar answered, rolling her eyes slightly. Boys… "You just don't have the _'Superhero Hottie'_ thing to really pull it off like Phantom does."

"That's not my fault." Kwan insisted stubbornly. "The ghost-boy's the only superhero in Amity Park, so he's in a league all his own. Why else would he be up for Most Influential Teen?" Star smiled slightly, nodding at the athlete's logic.

"He's gonna get it, too." She predicted confidently. "That is, if he bothers to show up… he's so mysterious, no one knows if he's even really gonna be there." Still, there was a chance the ghost boy would come, which meant Paulina was going if she had to beg, borrow and steal to get there.

"Yeah." Kwan agreed. "Hey, I gotta get to homeroom before I get into trouble. See you at lunch, Star!" The blonde didn't have time to respond before her boyfriend was gone. Sighing heavily in annoyance, Star turned and started towards Paulina's locker as she did every morning.

Fully prepared to deal with her Latina best friend in a full blown hissy fit, Star was a little surprised to find Paulina calm and collected, busy applying another layer of glittery pink lip gloss to her perfect lips, using her new Danny Phantom based locker mirror as her aid. (Where Paulina found all of her Danny Phantom paraphernalia was still a mystery to the girl, though she knew several stores had started to cash in on the ghost boy's popularity.)

"Hey Paulina!" a little wary (Paulina was infamous for intense outbursts when someone angered her, after all…) Star stopped a few feet from Paulina's locker, resting against the wall and hugging her book to her chest. "So… how are… uh… things?" Paulina glanced over at Star for a moment before turning back to her mirror, her expression never changing from the usual disinterested one she wore whenever Phantom was nowhere to be seen.

"Fine." Paulina answered as she capped her lip gloss and tucked it into her Sayonara Pussycat purse (Which would have been the sole thing Paulina owned without Phantom's face on it if it wasn't for the collection of Phantom key chains and buttons.)

"Really?" Star said brightly, smiling at the girl. "So you have a new date for the Gala?"

"Of course!" Paulina scoffed slightly, giving Star a dry look. "What, you thought I'd miss a chance to meet the ghost boy?"

"No!" Star answered quickly, knowing any other response would be blasphemy. "Just wanted to make sure you were still coming! After all, it'd be a shame if you couldn't wear that gorgeous dress you bought just for the occasion!" Paulina smirked a little at that, reaching into her locker for a book. Relaxing in relief, Star pressed on. "So, who are you going with, anyway?"

"You'll see," Paulina answered mysteriously before she pecked her Danny Phantom poster affectionately (Another morning tradition) and shut her locker door. "Look, I need to talk to someone. Go tell Miss Testlaff I'll be a little late. Tell her I have woman issues or something."

"Sure thing Paulina!" the blonde answered, sighing miserably as her friend left. Making a face, Star headed off to her first hour class, Health Sciences. She felt so low, doing Paulina's dirty work for her, but it was the only way the blonde knew that assured she could be friends with the popular cheerleader. And being friends with Paulina was the only way a girl could be popular in Casper High.

Just look at Valerie. When Paulina decided she wasn't interesting anymore, her popularity plummeted so fast that Star barely knew what'd happened. It was a shame, too, since Star found Valerie so much more interesting then Paulina. They were both assertive girls, but Valerie had more of an independent approach whereas Paulina conned and tricked her way to get what she wanted, never actually doing anything for herself.

Before Star could continue down this line of thought, though, a loud banging noise drew her attention to the janitor's closet next to her. Raising an eyebrow, Star slowed her pace as the banging was joined by a yelping noise before the door flung open and Danny Fenton spilled forward, knocking both of them to the ground.

"Ow!" Star yelped as her hair tangled in his backpack, fighting to get away from the clumsy boy.

"Sorry!" Danny gasped as he struggled to his feet. Growling out her impatience, Star shoved the boy away and stood up, throwing him a scathing glare. She took no notice of the bruise forming on his right cheek.

Danny Fenton always seemed to be nursing a new injury, after all. Most of them were 'gifts' from Dash, who had more or less staked the boy as his personal punching bag. Star would've figured that fear of the quarterback's retaliation would've keep the rest of the bullies off of the geek even in his absence, but apparently that wasn't the case after all.

Not that she cared.

"Watch where you're going, loser!" she snapped angrily. Annoyed, Danny threw her bitter look.

"I said I was sorry!" he reminded her irritably. Snorting in distain, Star turned and walked away without bothering to respond, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

_What a total—_

* * *

_"—snob!"_

Tucker chuckled as he swallowed the bite he'd just taken, grinning at Sam's disgruntled look as soon as his mouth was empty.

"No arguing with that!" he agreed. Danny sighed.

He'd just finished telling the two of them what had happened that morning with Star after his fight with Technus. While he was definitely glad no one had raised suspicions about him suddenly falling out of the janitor's closet without even going into it in the first place, he really didn't like the interaction with his blonde classmate.

"Well…" Danny said reluctantly, too chivalrous to actually agree with his friends. "I did fall on her."

"And you apologized," Sam reminded him with a pointed look. "It was an accident anyways, so she didn't have to be so rude about it." The goth shot the popular table an ugly glare, specifically the blonde who was a picture of arrogance as she bragged about going to the Amity Gala. Again. "And is she ever gonna shut up about that stupid party?"

"Yeah, well that's coming from someone who gets a private invite to attend every year." Tucker said dryly. "Heck, this year I'm the only one out of the three of us who didn't get an invite!"

"So?" Sam rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Trust me, Tucker, you're not missing anything not getting invited to that stupid Snobfest."

"And who said I was going?" Danny said, giving Tucker a strange look. "I mean, Sam's skipping out this year anyways, so the only people I'd know there are gonna be Star and Kwan, now that Dash and Paulina aren't going. And they don't even know I know them! Do you have any idea how awkward that would be?"

What are you talking about?" Tucker shot Danny a weird look of his own. "Paulina's going. I heard Ashley talking about it with Valerie in the hall after second period. Guess she found a replacement for Dash."

"Really?" Danny looked taken aback at that. "Already?"

"You're really surprised?" Sam scoffed in distain, glaring slightly at her blue eyed best friend, addressing him in the same tone as she continued. "Please tell me you're not going to go for her…"

"Go?" Danny said blankly before he caught on, "Oh! The Gala! No, no way! I mean, what the heck would I say to her, anyways?"

"Who said she wanted a conversation?" Sam asked disgustedly. Tucker rolled his eyes at the thinly veiled jealousy in the goth's voice.

_Ah, well…_ the tech geek sighed in his head. _One of them should make a move before summer. If not, then I'm out twenty bucks. _

"Hey Star, can I talk to you for a second?"

Looking up, the three friends found their eyes drawn to the popular table once more as Kwan addressed his blonde girlfriend in the light, cheerful tone he always seemed to use with people.

"Of course!" Star chirped back, oblivious to Sam's fake gagging and the snickers this earned from Danny and Tucker. "What's up, Kwan?"

"Well, since Dash is gone and Paulina needs a date to the Gala, she asked me to take her instead," Kwan explained. "You don't mind, right?" The look of stunned pain on Star's face answered for her, but the thickheaded jock misinterpreted it easily. "Great! I knew you'd understand!" And with a cheerful wave, the jock was gone, leaving Star the center of attention in the embarrassing silence that followed.

When she finally realized what had happened and saw that everyone was staring at her, Star blushed in embarrassment and hastily stood up to rush out of the cafeteria, leaving her tray of food behind. Danny cringed slightly as he watched her go, conversation buzzing to life again as the doors slammed in the blonde's exit.

"Ouch…" he muttered sympathetically. "Talk about brutal. I mean, Kwan just dissed her in front of the entire school!"

"Who cares?" Sam asked scornfully. "It's her own fault for letting herself be reduced to arm trophy."

"Careful, Sam," Tucker teased. "I mean, remember what happened with the last A-lister who got booted?"

"I doubt Star's going to suddenly turn ghost hunter on us, Tuck." Danny responded, rolling his eyes. "But I do feel kinda bad for her. I mean, her best friend and her boyfriend hooked up with one another behind her back, how cruddy does _that_ have to feel?"

"Hey, she had it coming with all the bad karma she's wracked up." Sam scoffed. "Just let it go, Danny, it's none of our business what those A-list snobs do."

"Yeah, Danny." Tucker agreed, "We've got enough on our plate with the whole ghost thing, we don't need to take charity cases now too."

"Guess you're right…" Danny admitted reluctantly. He sighed, turning back to his food. His friends were right, after all, Star's problems were none of his business. Besides, who was to say she wasn't over it already…?

* * *

_"WWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

Valerie sighed silently to herself as her patted Star's back in a soothing sort of way, silently wishing that the girl would let go of her shirt before the wrinkles she made became permanent.

"There, there…" she tried to soothe her distraught friend. "Come on, Star, it's not the end of the world…"

"Yes it is!" Star sobbed loudly. "You weren't there, Val, it was totally embarrassing! My social life is ruined now!" Valerie cringed as the girl dissolved into tears once more.

"It can't be that bad!" the ghost hunter said optimistically.

"Everyone was there, Valerie!" Star wailed. "Everyone saw! And he didn't even care! All he wanted was his precious date with _Paulina._" Valerie cringed at the venom in the girl's tone as she spat the name out angrily. "It's not fair! Paulina always gets everything she wants, and now I look totally lame because of her!"

"It could be worse." Valerie reminded the girl. "I mean, at least you're still an A-list girl, right?"

"Not much longer, if I don't hook up with somebody cool fast." Star sulked a little as she reminded her friend of this, and Valerie couldn't help but roll her eyes.

That was one of the things that annoyed her about her friend, actually. Star seemed to be in an irreversible mindset that she was worthless unless she was dating a guy. Why her friend felt the constant need to be an arm trophy she did not know, but it bothered Valerie to no end.

"Look Star, popularity isn't everything, alright?" Valerie told the girl firmly. "I mean, look at me! I'm happier now then I was as an A-list kid."

"But I'm not you, Valerie!" Star huffed angrily. "I can't pull double shifts at the Nasty Burger, I can't start liking losers like Fenton… I can't even stand eating a bag lunch anymore!"

"Well, you can teach yourself to, Star," Valerie reminded her friend. "Life isn't always like high school, you know, the sooner you wake up, the better." That's when all of what Star had just said fully hit the girl. "Wait, Danny's not a loser!" Star sighed heavily.

"Look, I gotta go." she said, standing up. "I'll see you tomorrow, Val." Valerie sighed slightly as she watched her friend leave her apartment, concern etched into her face as the blonde closed the door behind her.

_Ah, she'll be all right._ Valerie told herself firmly. _After all, it's just social problems, right? Nothing she could get hurt over…_

* * *

"It's not fair!" Star huffed to herself as she took the shortcut back home from Valerie's apartment, the hiking trail in the forest that separated their homes. She'd already been walking by herself for about ten minutes, with was the amount of time it took her to become very, very bitter towards a certain Latina. 

_Paulina this, Paulina that…_ Star made a face. _One of these days, she should really get what's coming to her!_

"Star?" Jumping slightly, the blonde looked up, surprised to see geeky Danny Fenton on the path in front of her.

"Oh, great," she said sarcastically. "What are you doing here, huh?"

"I was… erm… just going to see Valerie about something?" Danny explained sheepishly before he frowned at the girl. "Uh, look, Star…about what happened today…"

"Don't you DARE!" Star hissed, glaring at him threateningly. "The last thing I need right now is sympathy from LOSERS!"

"All right, all right, chill out!" Danny huffed. "Jeeze, sue a guy for caring…" Star opened her mouth to respond to that, but before she could Danny shivered slightly and groaned. "Oh no…" Then, without another word, the boy jumped over the fence separating the trail from the forest and stumbled through the undergrowth and deeper into the wilderness.

_What's with him?_ Star wondered, raising an eyebrow after the loser. She didn't have time to wonder long, though, when the loud roar of a motorcycle had her turning around in confusion.

Which promptly turned to horror when she recognized the rider as a ghost.

"Hey, you!" The greasy blonde biker called to Star. "You see any losers around here acting like they were in a hurry?" Star blinked in surprise at that. Fenton? They were after Fenton, of all people?

Before she could answer the ghost and save her own skin in the process, a green blast of energy struck the motorcycle. The impact caused both the rider and the girl riding shotgun (Star figured she was his girlfriend or something) into a tree.

"The only loser around here is you, Johnny!" Danny Phantom taunted from where he floated above tree level. The biker growled as he glared at the boy.

"Shadow!" The ghost barked out, pointing to the superhero. "Attack!" Star's eyes went wide when the biker's shadow came to life and flew off after the ghost kid, knocking them both out of sight for a minute before a green blast had the shadow-thing shooting for the moon.

_Maybe now would be a good time to go home and crawl under my bed…_ Star tried to sneak off as quietly as possible. Before she could make a run for it the green-haired ghost disappeared and reappeared alongside her, seizing her arm in a painful grip that had the ghost's nails biting into her skin.

"I don't think so," the ghost scoffed disdainfully. "We're gonna need you for leverage once Johnny and his stupid bad luck shadow lose again."

"Yeah!" the other ghost (Who must've been the Johnny everyone was talking about) agreed before the words fully hit him. "Aw, _Kitty!_"

Before anything else could be said, though, the shadow-thing hit the ground painfully in front of them, which drew everyone's attention to the ghost now glaring at Johnny.

"When are you guys gonna give up already?" Danny asked, sounding annoyed. "Clockwork gave it to me for a reason. He knew I could protect it from lame, second rate ghosts like you. Now then…" Star sighed in relief as Phantom took out the thermos-looking thingy he always carried with him to contain ghosts. "Any last words before I bring you back to the Ghost Zone?" Johnny looked desperate for a moment until his eyes landed on the power lines that ran along the side of the trial.

"Just this," the greasy ghost said with a grin. Before the ghost boy could stop him, Johnny pointed at the power lines. "Shadow, sic em!" The shadow ghost grinned evilly at the command, shooting up to pass through the power lines. The two ghosts abandoned Star to take off like the devil himself was on their heels and the shadow ghost disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

Star rubbed her arm where the ghost had grabbed her, relief filling her for a minute and making her miss the fast that the power line was falling…

…and heading right for her.

"STAR!" The ghost boy yelled, having a keener attention span then the blonde girl below him. Shooting down, he knocked the girl off of her feet before the power line could do any harm. With Star still in his arms, he twisted around to fly backwards so he could see if the power line had done any harm to anything else.

Which was when his head introduced itself to Mr. Oak.

Yelping in pain at the impact of bone on bark, Danny slid down the trunk of the tree and to the ground. This had apparently been the last straw as far as his powers were concerned, given the fact that he'd been fighting off more ghosts then usual that day thanks to Clockwork's stupid antique.

But Danny didn't think of this. All he had time to realize (with a growing sense of horror) was that he'd just reverted back to his human form.

And Star was gaping right at him.

_Aw, crap..._

* * *

**WoM- _Poor, poor Danny... Sorry this didn't get up yesterday here like it did on DA, people, but I had a little problem with the new stories system (My computer freezes up every stime a new page pops up.) I'll try and get more up soon, but I'm headed up north for the weekend._**


	2. Supernova

**WoM- 'blinks' _Wow… You guys really responded to this one… Oh, and don't worry, there's no cliffie here, I think the last couple I wrote managed to get them out of my system for a while. 'smiles sheepishly at MoC and GT readers' Thank Obi for this update, since it's her 'pay' for another FP page. And with that said, on with the chapter!_**

* * *

"Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together."

_**-Petrarch**_

* * *

**Supernova**

"_No way!_" gasping, Star fell away, crawling backwards until her back hit a tree. Danny watched her with wide, frightened blue eyes. "Fenton? Danny _Fenton_?" Danny flinched, unsure of what to say. "_You're_ Danny Phantom!"

"…No I'm not?" Danny faked a hopeful smile even as he beat himself up mentally. That sounded weak even to him, there was no way she'd buy that! Especially not after she'd seen him transform…

"But… how… You're still _alive_!" then, a little uncertainly, the girl added, "…Aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" Danny assured her quickly, taking a step forward. He stopped when Star drew back even more, taking a deep breath to hide his panic and hurt. "Look… Star… I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise. I just… you _can't_ tell anyone, okay?" the last part came out as more of a plea then anything else, and Danny's beseeching look didn't help the matter at all.

He was painfully aware of his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for Star's response. After all, this wasn't Sam, or Tucker, or Jazz… even Paulina or Dash, who while far from being his friends, at least associated with both of his forms long enough to grant some strange form of loyalty to his ghost half. This was a girl he'd only spoken to on a handful of occasions, with none of the conversations ending on a civil tone.

"Are you _insane_?" Star demanded, glaring at him pointedly. "Why shouldn't I tell anyone? Why shouldn't I tell _everyone_, huh?"

"Because, nobody else can know!" Danny snapped back before he could stop himself. Flinching, Danny took a deep breath and fixed his tone so as not to upset the girl further. "Look, Star, this is serious. If it gets out that I'm a half ghost, the Guys in White will try and capture me for experiments, leaving Amity Park to be overrun with ghosts and no one to send them back to the Ghost Zone. Everyone will be in danger, Star, including you and your family. Is that what you want?" Star balked a little at that.

Unnerved, she thought back to the first big ghost attack, one of the most frightening experiences she'd ever been through. It had shaken her up so much that she didn't even care that she'd been on TV because of it. No, she didn't want that, not again…

_Still…_ she told herself, shaken by her revelation. _I can't believe that a geek like Danny Fenton and a cool guy like Danny Phantom are the same people… I mean, this whole time Paulina's been crushing bad on Phantom and he's been right under her—!_

Star stopped mid-thought, her eyes going wide before her face twisted into a sly smirk.

Standing up, the girl brushed herself off before turning the smirk to Danny, who was still waiting anxiously for some kind of response. Approaching him, she stopped about three feet away, crossing her arms.

"Alright." she said in the cool, confident tone only an A-list kid (even a low ranking A-list kid like herself) could possess. "You've convinced me. I won't tell anybody about your double lives."

"Really?" Danny asked hopefully. "Including Valerie?" Star blinked.

…_Valerie? _why would he care if she knew? Because of his crush on her? He still wasn't over that? _And people call me desperate…_

"Including Valerie." Star repeated with a confirming nod. Danny sighed in relief, making the girl roll her eyes. Talk about overdramatic.

"Thanks, Star." the boy said earnestly. "You really don't know how much that means to—!"

"Hold up." Star broke in, holding up a hand to stop Danny, the other planted firmly on her hip. "I said I'll keep your little secret, but I've got a condition."

Danny's relieved expression melted away at that.

"A condition?" he repeated in a bland tone. "What kind of condition?"

"Nothing major, if that's what your thinking…" Star's smirk widened, her tone never varying. "Its just… do you remember the big Gala coming up in a couple of weeks?"

"Yeah, so?" Danny asked, confused. His paranoia (Combined with his natural clueless-ness) kept him from making the connection he should've.

"So if memory serves, a certain Danny Phantom got an invite to go now, didn't he?" Star said pointedly.

"…Are you going somewhere with all of this?" groaning, Star rolled her eyes in exasperation.

_No wonder he and the Goth freak aren't together yet…_

"As a matter of fact I am." she announced in annoyance. "I'm going to the Amity Gala, and I'm going on the arm of Amity Park's most famous ghost boy." that one definitely got the point across, causing Danny to pale rapidly and gape at Star in horror before his face flamed with color.

"What?" sputtering, Danny took an involuntary step back to stare at the girl, stunned. "Are you crazy? I can't—!"

"You can and you will." Star cut him off curtly. Then, in a sweeter tone, she added. "Unless you _want_ me to let Valerie in on your little secret…" Danny couldn't have looked more stunned if Star had slapped him.

"You wouldn't…" he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Wouldn't I?" Star countered innocently. "Valerie is one of my best friends, after all, and keeping a secret as big as this is _so_ difficult…"

"Fine!" Danny said quickly. "I'll do whatever you say, Star. Just don't tell anyone!"

"Excellent!" Star chirped happily, turning away with a sweep of her hair. "I'll get back to you with the details later. See ya!" Danny moaned softly to himself as Star more or less skipped away, apparently in a much higher spirits now then she had been in before her encounter with Danny.

_At least one of us is in a good mood…_ Danny thought sourly as he trudged back to his home. _Why me…?_

* * *

Giggling madly Star fell onto her bed, where she cuddled one of her pillows with a happy sigh. She didn't care that her mother had just gotten done ranting at her for getting into a car with Kwan that morning, not to mention staying out past the nine o'clock curfew without calling home to say where she was. 

"Danny Phantom…" Star grinned into her pillowcase, relishing in her own cunning. "Talk about a change of luck!"

Danny Phantom was famous throughout the nation, the face that put Amity Park on the map. Danny Phantom was cool, strong and brave, everything a superhero should be. Danny Phantom was the one thing Paulina wanted, but didn't have.

Danny Phantom was Danny Fenton.

And now, because of that little fact, Danny Phantom was also Star's new boyfriend.

_Suddenly, I'm glad Kwan and I decided to break up._ Star thought with a smirk, completely dismissing the fact that Kwan had technically dumped her. _Who wants to date a boring, average jock when you can be the girlfriend of a superhero?_ The blonde giggled again, fully enjoying her new status.

'_Ring! Ring! Ring!'_

Star blinked in surprise when the phone next to her bed started to sound, shifting around to give it a puzzled look before she picked it up. After all, the private line was only put in so that her conversations with Paulina wouldn't tie up the main phone, and she doubted that her ex-best-friend was the one calling, so who would bother to contact an unpopular? (At least for now, at any rate…)

"Hello?"

_"Hey Star!"_ a familiar voice responded. _"It's Ashley! How are you holding up?"_

"Ashley?" like Star herself, Ashley was only a minor A-lister, someone Paulina found interesting on occasions. She got along decently with the girl but they weren't as close as they could've been.

_She probably thinks she's gonna take my place on the A-list, now that Kwan and I are through._ Star decided, vaguely annoyed. _I bet she just called to rub it in…_

"Hey, Ashley!" she sang out sweetly, sitting up on her bed. "Wow, I wasn't expecting you to call tonight! I didn't even know you had my number!"

_"Paulina gave it to me."_ Ashley explained airily to the girl. _"I tried calling earlier, but no one answered… I just wanted to let you know how sorry I was. About you and Kwan I mean." _Star scowled slightly at the girl's tone, fully sensing that she wasn't sorry in the least.

"Kwan?" Star asked in a thoughtful tone, as if she'd already forgotten the boy. "Kwan who?"

_"Your ex-boyfriend."_ Ashley reminded her. _"The one that dumped you today in the cafeteria. That Kwan."_

"Oh, him." Star scoffed. "I was getting tired of him anyways. He's so lame, you know, way too boring for my tastes… nothing like my new boyfriend."

_"…New boyfriend?"_ Bingo. You'd have to be deaf not to hear the way Ashley's interests had been peaked with those last two words… _"You have a new boyfriend? Already? Who is it?"_

"You'll never guess." Star responded confidently, propping the phone between her ear and her shoulder so she could polish her nails. "Go on and try!"

_"Jason Anderson from homeroom?"_ Ashley started. _"Or maybe Will from Health Sciences?"_

"Nope." Star said smugly as she began applying her first coat of polish.

_"It's not Foley again, is it?"_

"No!" Star made a face, almost upsetting the nail polish in her distress. "Ew! Never going down that road ever again…"

_"Oh come on, you have to spill!"_ giggling, the blonde capped her nail polish and blew lightly on her hands before she responded to the plea.

"Well, I guess I could tell you, since you're being such a great friend and all…" Star smirk as she dangled the bait in front of the girl, starting to go in for the kill. "But you've got to promise not to tell anyone else!"

_"Oh, definitely Star!"_ Ashley promised eagerly. _"You totally have my word!"_

"Great!" Star said brightly. "It's so good to know I can trust you, Ashley!"

_"Mm-hm, great."_ Ashley responded impatiently. _"So who is he?"_ Star grinned triumphantly into the phone.

"Danny Phantom." There was a long beat of silence before an earsplitting shriek had Star jumping away from the phone in surprise.

_"Are you serious?"_ she gasped. _"**The** Danny Phantom? You're dating **THE** Danny Phantom? Ghost Boy of Amity Park?"_

"That's him!" Star confirmed cheerfully. "He's even taking me to the Gala! Isn't that so cool?"

_"But… but I thought… Isn't he… And Paulina… _**How**_?"_ Star giggled a little, basking in her victory. 

"He saved me from a ghost today." Star explained enthusiastically. "You should have seen him Ashley, he was so cool, fighting off the freak on the bike! Then afterwards he stayed behind to see if I was alright. He told me he'd been crushing on me for a while since he thought I was the prettiest girl in Amity, and that he wanted me to go with him to the Gala. Wasn't that sweet of him?"

Okay, so she took a few creative rights with the story, nothing _too_ major…

_"Yeah… sweet…"_ the blonde smirked a little at the shock clear in Ashley's voice. Apparently, she wasn't expecting the conversation to go like this when she decided to call.

"Anyways, Phantom was worried that if it got out how much he cared about me, I'd be targeted by his enemies, so I promised to only tell my family and best friends. You won't say anything to anyone, will you Ashley?"

_"Huh?"_ Ashley said at first before the words clicked_. "Oh! Of course not, Star! I promise I won't tell a single soul!"_

"Great!" Star said brightly. "Well, I'm gotta go now. It was great talking to you, Ashley!" Star grinned triumphantly as she hung up the phone, not bothering to wait for the other girl's response. "That oughta do it…"

Humming to herself the blonde started to prepare for bed, knowing full well that Ashley was probably already busy spreading the word to the rest of Casper High that she was dating the infamous Danny Phantom, and Paulina wasn't.

_For the first time in my life, I can't wait for school tomorrow…_

**

* * *

**

**_"WHAT?"_**

Danny cringed, one hand against his ear, which was now ringing thanks to Sam's screech. The goth didn't seem all that bothered by this, though, and Tucker was just gaping at him in shock. Even Jazz seemed alarmed at the bomb her brother had just dropped on them.

"What else could I do?" he asked helplessly. "She knows I'm a half ghost now, and she's threatening to tell Valerie!"

"I know dude, but blackmail?" Tucker made a face at that. "That's low, man. Even for an A-list kid."

"I'll kill her." Sam growled out venomously, a look in her eyes that left no one doubting her word. "What makes that snobby, stuck-up, Barbie doll of a—!"

"Sam." Danny sighed, cutting off the rest of what promised to be a colorful insult. "Look, I appreciate the support, but there's nothing we can do. Star knows I'm half ghost, and until we figure out a way to deal with her for good, I'm just going to have to go along with her demands."

"I already have a way." Sam reminded her friend.

"A _legal_ way of dealing with her." Danny corrected himself dryly.

"It's only illegal if you get caught." the goth insisted stubbornly, crossing her arms and turning away. Groaning, Danny shot Tucker a helpless look.

"Hey, don't look at me." the tech geek said defensively, holding his hands out to shield himself. "Unless you develop the power to give people amnesia, Sam's idea sounds like the best thing we've got to go on."

"We're not killing her!" Danny said, exasperated, throwing his arms up in the air. Sighing he shot his sister a pleading look as she pulled into the school parking lot.

"Sorry Danny." Jazz said, sounding slightly apologetic. "I can't see a way out of this any more then you can… and I'm with Danny on your guys' plan, by the way." this last part was directed to Sam and Tucker in the back seat, along with a stern glare. "No homicide on my watch."

"I wasn't serious." Sam sighed drolly, rolling her eyes. "…not completely, anyways."

"It's no big deal, guys." Danny sighed roughly. "One stupid date is all she's asking for. I think I can handle something like that."

"Says the poor, naïve fool who's never dated the girl before." Tucker drolled out in a dry tone. "Trust someone who has been there, dude, there's no way Star's letting you off the hook with one date. She's gonna milk this as long as possible… and then she might just let it spill anyways."

"Tucker's right, Danny." Sam agreed as the car pulled to a stop. "We have to stop Star as soon as possible! Maybe if we go to Clockwork or something—!"

"Clockwork can't help me, guys." Danny broke in as the four of them got out of the car. "I already tried that. He told me his hands are tied as far as this whole thing goes."

"Desiree?" Tucker offered hopefully. "Just wish that she didn't know anymore!"

"I don't trust Desiree."

"Anymore then you trust Star?" Sam snorted. "She's an A-lister, Danny, she'll do anything she can to get on top!"

"Don't you think you guys are being too hard on her?" Jazz asked with a disapproving frown. "Until Star proves otherwise, I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt."

"She's an A-list snob!" Sam growled, glaring at Jazz. "She doesn't need the benefit of the doubt, she needs to be bound, gagged and thrown into the darkest depths of the Ghost Zone!"

"That might not be such a bad idea…" Tucker said thoughtfully.

"Guys!"

"Tucker!" jumping in surprised, all four teens turned as a Mikey approached their group, looking excited about something. "Did you hear? The whole school's talking about it!"

"…Hear what?" Tucker shot his friends a baffled look, receiving nothing but blank looks and shrugs.

"Star!" Mikey said, apparently excited to find someone who hadn't heard the news yet. "Star's dating Danny Phantom! He asked her out last night, when she was going back home from Valerie's!" there was a long lapse of silence as Mikey rushed off after another group, apparently intent on spreading the news far and wide.

"…So much for the benefit of the doubt." Sam scoffed, crossing her arms. "Now what?" Danny sighed heavily before he started up into the school, leaving the other three to exchange glances before rushing after him.

"Danny?" Jazz frowned at her brother in concern, anxious at the blank, impassive look on his face. "What are you doing?"

"Going to class." Danny responded shortly. "I'm gonna let Star say whatever she wants, if it means my secret's being kept for at least one more day."

"But Danny—!"

"I don't want to hear it, Sam." Danny cut the goth off curtly, ignoring her scowl. "I'll figure something out sooner or later… just not right now." Slowing to a stop, Tucker, Sam and Jazz all let Danny go on ahead as they watched on in worry.

"I've got a bad feeling about all of this…" Tucker said in an uneasy tone.

"It'll work out, guys." Jazz said with false optimism, "It always does!"

"Maybe…" Sam frowned at Danny's retreating form. "But if it doesn't, I'm blaming it all on that stupid bracelet."

"You and me both." Tucker scoffed.

* * *

**WoM- _That's all for now! Next chapter includes jealousy, rivalry and betrayal!_**

…_**Wow, when did this turn into one of my mom's soap operas…?**_

* * *

**Thanks to-**

the Gothic Egg, KatrinaKaiba, epobbp, SilverstarsEbonyskies, savi2070, Knowledge in the Hollow Noggin, Phantom of a Rose, Leppers, Siren of Time, midnight, BlackWings, XxMidnightWolfxX, Jazzy, Yoshi, Esme Kali Phantom, PhantomShadowKat, aLLgirL112, Just call me Crazy, conan98002, Gmasangel, Redwind, L'ange-Sans-Ailes, Kazzy103, Anomaly25, J.J. Banks, InuYasha'sReincarnation, Crossover Fiend, soaring-bright-flame,animekraze, Wingg-ed Wolf, dfd, shadow-k9, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, dAnnYsGiRl777, The Person Who Rights, GOst, Karasu87Chaos, dPhantoMfreak, Lumias, Parselmaster,SummersSixEcho, Erebus Faustus, The Bushranger, BarnOwl93, deadzonedragon, xheartkreuzx, Uchiha fangirl aloncye, Evillittlegurlie, JosephineInLove, Gadget14, blindyourears, Light Dragon SunsSong, -StarPhantom-, phantomshadowdragon, ectoenergy, Bunny Bubble, savi2070, Knowledge in the Hollow Noggin, midnight, BlackWings, Yoshi, Just call me Crazy, Kazzy103, dfd, GOst, Erebus Faustus, The Bushranger, deadzonedragon, Gadget14, ectoenergy,

**Special Thanks to-**

Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Redwind, definenormalAB, blackkaosrose, L'ange-Sans-Ailes, dannyphantomfanaticandDxSshipper, AmandaPhantom, Uchiha fangirl aloncye, white rose, kawaii gurl-11, Bunny Bubble


	3. Out of Orbit

**WoM- _Funny, It feels like I just updated this…_ 'giggles' _This is Wingedwish's second request. Thank you all for bringing this story to it's 100th review already! You guys are totally awesome!_**

---

"You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you."

_**-Mary Tyler Moore**_

---

**Out of Orbit**

"Ohmigosh Star, is it true?"

"When's the first date?"

"Have you two kissed yet?"

"When did you hook up?"

"Does he have a brother?"

Star smirked as she reveled in the attention she was getting from her classmates. Not acknowledging any of the questions being thrown her way, the blonde strutted down the hall to her locker, well aware of the small mob of curious students following her but pretending not to notice them.

_Oh yeah…_ She thought smugly as she opened her locker to get ready for her first period. _I can_ **totally** _get used to this…_

"Hey Sta- whoa…" Turning around, Star had to suppress a smile at the look on Valerie's face as she took in the many kids surrounding them. "What's with this crowd?"

"Oh hey Valerie!" Star sang out, still pretending that twenty plus students weren't trying to get as close to her as humanly possible. Valerie's eyebrow kicked up at her friends cheerful tone, a far cry for the emotional wreck she'd been when she left her apartment.

"Well you're in a good mood…" Valerie said dryly, leaning against the rows of lockers. "Something good happen yesterday?" Star giggled slightly.

"You might say that…" She said coyly, delighting in her current position.

"Do you really want me to force it out of you, Star?" Valerie asked with a pointed look that had Star moving away slightly. She'd been to some of Valerie's martial arts tournaments, and knew all too well the kind of pain her friend was capable of inflicting on others.

"I'm surprised you haven't heard from someone else yet." Star said instead, genuinely honest in that remark. She'd become a hot topic literally overnight, after all, and being Star's best friend should have made Valerie the first person people went to with their questions.

Although, a lot of people still feared approaching her after what she'd done to Nathan to get him to stop stalking her…

"I was working last night." Valerie said dismissively, which Star didn't really understand since she could've sworn that her friend had the day off. "So? What's the big deal, anyways? Did Kwan ask you back out or something?"

"Nope!" Star grinned happily at Valerie, eager to see the look on her face after she found out about this recent turn of events. "It's—!"

BANG!

Several students jumped when Star's locker door was slammed shut, cutting the blonde off and irritating her to no ends. At least until she turned to meet the angry blue eyes of the person who'd so rudely interrupted her. A person she knew all too well…

"Oh, hello Paulina." Star said innocently with a razor edged smile. "Problems?"

"Like you don't know!" Paulina hissed back, scowling at her. "I always knew you were pathetic, but this is sad even for you, Star."

"Excuse me?" Star stiffened at that, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"You heard me." Paulina sneered. "You actually think I believe your stupid little lie? It's totally obvious you're just jealous of me." The crowd murmured slightly, looking to one another doubtfully as Star's jaw dropped for a moment.

"I am not!" she protested angrily. "I'm not lying, and I'm _not_ jealous! If anyone's jealous here, it's you, Paulina!"

"And why would I be jealous of you?" Paulina laughed cruelly. "I'm prettier then you are, I'm cooler then you are… I'm even the captain of the cheer squad! Face it Star, I've got you beat in everything!"

"Then how come I'm the one with the boy, huh?" Star asked, crossing her arms and turning away slightly.

"You are not!" Paulina snapped. "Stop saying that!"

"Can't face the truth?" Paulina glowered at Star, who had to smirk. She was definitely enjoying this oh-so-refreshing change of pace…

"Prove it." Paulina hissed. Star blinked at her in surprise.

"Huh?" Valerie said, raising an eyebrow with a baffled look. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Why do I have to prove anything to you, huh?" Star demanded angrily. Paulina smirked back triumphantly.

"Then it is a lie!" She said loudly, turning to address the surrounding crowd. "I knew my ghost boy would never settle for someone like her."

**"…WHAT?"** Valerie shrieked, jumping to her feet. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Paulina sneered. "You're little friend here lied about being Danny Phantom's girlfriend."

"I did not!" Star growled out, glaring at her furiously. "I just don't see why I have to prove anything to a jealous fangirl like you! And for your information, Phantom's coming in after school to fly me home!"

**_"He's _WHAT_?"_** Valerie asked, turning to her friend with wide eyes.

"Now I know you're lying." Paulina snorted disdainfully. "You've been afraid of heights since the third grade." Star faltered a little at that, torn between feeling surprised that Paulina remembered that or foolish that she'd forgotten herself.

"So?" She said, covering the slip as gracefully as she could. "I'm not afraid when Phantom's flying me! I know he won't drop me!"

"Well then, I guess the entire school will know if you're lying or not after school today, won't they?" Paulina said arrogantly, cocking an eyebrow at Star.

"I guess they will." Star countered, shrugging her bag up her shoulder before turning and storming away, a very surprised Valerie at her heels.

"Star, is it true?" She asked, her green eyes wide. "You're dating that ghost?"

"Of course it's true!" Star snapped, still a little irritated over Paulina's accusations. "He asked me last night, on my way back come from your house."

Star continued to class, too riled up to even notice when Valerie slowed her pace to a dead stop.

---

"We need to talk."

Star scowled, irritated at her rotten luck. Unfortunately for her, Sam Manson returned the scowl with a vigor.

"Outta my way, loser." Star scoffed as she brushed past Sam. "I don't have time for someone like you." Growling, Sam grabbed the girl by the wrist and yanked her back into the girl's bathroom before she could leave.

"I_ said_ we need to talk." Sam hissed, glaring at the girl as if daring her to try and escapes again. Star flinched.

Though she'd never admit it to anyone, Sam had always been able to scare her. Something about the goth had always seemed very intimidating, the reason she's always avoided being caught in the same room as her alone.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any chance for escape here. And since they were in the girls bathroom in the middle of second period, so the chances for a very welcomed interruption were slim.

"Fine." Star huffed, leaning against a sink. Sam released her death grip on her arm while giving her the same dark smile she herself had given Paulina that morning.

"Good." Sam said sweetly. "Then while I have your attention, let me tell you this; If anybody finds out about Danny thanks to you, I'm gonna incinerate you and hide the ashes under my bed where no one will find them." Star scowled at her.

"You think you scare me?" She scoffed as she turned up her nose at the girl.

"I better." Sam responded. "Because I'm being dead serious here. We worked too hard and gave up too much to lose it all thanks to some snot nosed little Paulina clone like you."

"I am not a Paulina clone!" Star screeched, jumping to her feet. "What do you know about me, huh? Don't you dare try and tell me what to do, Manson, I'm the one calling the shots here!"

"The only thing you're doing is taking advantage of my best friend!" Sam growled back. "Danny has to put up with enough, he doesn't need a headache from you now too!"

"Please!" Star snorted. "You're just mad I got to him before you did!" Sam stiffened at that.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Star rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows that you like Fenton."

"…I see…" Star raised an eyebrow as Sam walked over to the door with an eerily calm expression, her concern growing then the goth turned the lock.

"What are you doing?" She asked warily, backing away slightly.

"Completely disregarding Danny and Jazz's orders." Sam responded before tackling the girl. Star screamed at the top of her lungs, struggling to get away. Her escape was hindered, though, when Sam grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked. Hard.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

"You dirty rotten deceiving shallow soulless husk of an A-list snob!" Sam growled back. "What gives you the right to use people like that, huh? Huh? Danny should've just let Johnny waste you!"

"Let me go you freak!" before anything else could be said, Star felt a strange tingling sensation before she and Sam where suddenly forced an arm's length apart. While Star was wondering what on earth happened, Danny Fenton appeared in between the girls, frowning disapprovingly at Sam.

"Done yet?" He asked dryly. Sam looked faintly annoyed.

"How did you know I was—?"

"You left to go to the bathroom three minutes after Star, Sam." Danny sighed. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. Besides, the whole school heard you two yelling. They evacuated since they thought it was a ghost, and Mr. Lancer sent me to get you guys." Star blushed as Sam just scowled in annoyance.

"Whatever." Sam scoffed, turning to leave. Her posture betrayed her anger, though, and Danny sighed after she'd unlocked the door and left.

"Sorry about that." He apologized to Star. "Sam and Tucker… they don't like someone outside of our group… well, you know…"

"I noticed." Star said bitterly as she tried to straighten out her hair. She was gonna kill the goth if she ended up with a bald spot…

"Yeah, kinda figured that…" Danny said with a weak smile. Star frowned a little. Didn't he care at all that she was just using him? It was creepy that he didn't seem to resent her at least a little… "Anyways, Sorry. I'll talk to her later about keeping things non-violent. Later, Star!"

"Wait!" Stepping forward, Star grabbed Danny's sleeve to stop him before he could make his way to the door, surprising the boy. "There's a new condition." Danny blinked.

"What?" He asked blankly. Star rolled her eyes, wondering how Amity Park was still standing given its hero's short attention span.

"I have a new condition to our deal, the one we made last night?" Danny winced slightly there.

"Oh." He said. "That. Sorry, I've been so busy with something else that I— erm, never mind. What's the condition?"

"Paulina doesn't think we're really dating, so you have to fly me home today after school." Star informed him haughtily. Danny frowned at her.

"So that's what this is all about?" he sighed. "Getting back at Paulina?"

"So what if it is?" Star's eyes narrowed at him. "You have no idea what she put me through! Always treating me like dirt… she deserves it!"

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean you should do it." Star blinked at Danny, surprised at how mature he sounded all of a sudden. "Trust me, Star, I've been there. Just because you can do something to get back at someone who's hurt you doesn't give you a right to. Sometimes it's a lot more rewarding to just be the better person."

"Shows what you know." Star rolled her eyes. "You should have seen the look on Paulina's face when she heard I was dating you… well, Phantom. And that was only the beginning! When I'm done with her, she's gonna be sorry she ever messed with me!"

"Whatever you say, Star." Danny said, though he still looked a little troubled. "Anyways, the flying thing shouldn't be a problem."

"Good." Star said, walking past him. She stopped at the door to turn back, though. "And one last thing… if you drop me, I swear I'll kill you." And with that, the girl left, a surprised Danny blinking in her wake.

---

"You have no idea how much I hate her right now." Danny groaned softly to himself as Sam glowered at Star, a distinct feeling of déjà vu overcoming him as he watched the blonde brag to a crowd of kids about her big date with Danny Phantom.

"Let it go, Sam." he sighed. "You're not helping things by mauling her in the girl's bathroom."

"It made me feel better." Sam insisted stubbornly.

"Gotta hand it to Star, though, she doesn't look like she just suffered through a Sam Attack." Tucker admitted admiringly as he eyed the popular coed.

"And just who's side are you on?" Sam demanded, scowling darkly at him.

"I said let it go, guys!" Danny sighed roughly. "I don't think Star's about to say anything, and we've got other problems to worry about, remember? Besides, I kinda feel bad for her…"

"You're kidding?" Sam asked incredulously. "After everything she's putting you through, you still feel sorry about her getting dumped by Kwan?"

"Not that!" Danny frowned. "It's just… some of the things she said in the bathroom were kinda depressing to hear. She's become so bent on getting back at Paulina, she doesn't seem to care about anything else." Danny paused here, thinking back to some of the less honorable things he'd done with his powers to the people who'd upset him. "I just wanna try and help her, I guess."

"Who says she deserves it?" Sam asked bitterly.

"What kind of superhero would I be if I got selective about who I saved?" Danny shot back in return, only deepening Sam's scowl. Suddenly Danny gasped, a jet of blue mist snaking out of his mouth. Sighing, the boy stood up. "Speaking of being a superhero…"

"I'm finishing your lunch, dude!" Tucker called to him as Danny jetted to hide behind the double doors leading into the cafeteria, checking around carefully before transforming into Danny Phantom.

Going invisible, Danny flew into the kitchen, where he couldn't help but groan upon finding the Lunch Lady terrorizing the staff.

"You call this meat?" She roared at the cowering humans. "This is pathetic!"

"Yeah, well it's not the only pathetic thing around here!" Danny shouted, kicking her away. Before he followed, he couldn't help but add to himself. "Gotta work on the snappy banter…"

The fight was over quickly, partially because the Lunch Lady wasn't the most powerful ghost and partially due to Danny's bad mood. It ended with a screaming Lunch Lady being pulled into the Fenton Thermos yet again before Danny capped it. Sighing, the ghost boy turned to head back to the lunch room.

And found an ecto cannon three inches from his face.

Yelping, Danny ducked before his face could be blown off by the blast that followed this revelation, flying a good ten feet away to get a better look at this new foe. His heart dropped to his stomach when he saw the familiar black-and-red garbed figure.

_Greeeat…_

"Can't we do this later?" Danny asked irritably. "I've got better places to be right now."

"I can't believe you." Valerie hissed, her eyes narrowing at Danny. "Every time I give you even a little credit, you just have to do something to sink even lower, don't you?" Danny frowned blankly at that.

"What?" He asked, taken aback.

"Don't pretend you don't know, ghost!" Valerie snarled, taking aim at him again. "This is the lowest thing you've ever done! Manipulating my best friend just to get closer to me…"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Danny shouted as he dodged the blasts. "I didn't do anything! Star's the one who—!"

"Liar!" Valerie shrieked. "And don't you dare say her name, you dirty creep! You took advantage of her when you knew she was vulnerable because she's one of the few friends I had left, just like what you did with Danny!"

_I'd laugh right now if I didn't think it'd get me killed…_ Danny thought dryly before he spoke up once again.

"I didn't do anything to Danny, or Star!" He defended himself. "Believe it or not, Valerie, my afterlife doesn't revolve around finding new ways to make you miserable!" Danny scowled, not catching the whining noise behind him until it was too late.

"I choose not." Valerie said coldly, just before Danny was blasted in the back.

Going intangible at the last second, Danny fazed through the floor and into the boiler room, where he hit the ground painfully. Groaning, he stood up and transformed back into Fenton, hurrying to the door just incase Valerie was planning on following him.

_Well, at least this day can't get any worse from here on out…_ Danny told himself bitterly as he left._ …I hope._

---

**WoM- _I know a lot of people are gonna be ranting and raving against Star, but the thing you have to understand is that nobody changes overnight. Be patient with her for a while and give her a chance. Danny's willing to, after all…_**

…**_And don't bother asking questions about the bracelet. That'll be explained on it's own in later chapters_ ;P**

---

**Thanks to;**

Uchiha fangirl aloncye, Bunny Bubble, iloveJesusJohnnyandDanny, Light Dragon SunsSong, -StarPhantom-, Horselvr4evr123, JosephineInLove, ghostgirl14027, Nobody Famous, phantomshadowdragon, Knowledge in the Hollow Noggin, epobbp, ur1crazedupfruitloop, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, Soultail Omega-Light, PotterPhan21, Epona Harper, BugzAttack, SquirrelGirl13, The Lady PhantomMage of Conte, Warrior of winds, blackgem99, Wingg-ed Wolf, Soni, Invader Johnny, SilverstarsEbonyskies, Anomaly25, Samantha-Girl Scout, ectoenergy, emotigone crazy, XxMW, Kenna, Phantom of a Rose, conan98002, Kirstyn.T, Lumias, Redwind, Balkoth, dPhantoMfreak, Sparky the Wonder Weasel, Shenhua Phantom, Siren of Time, (im-)pressed Curtains, blindyourears, BarnOwl93, raidan

**Special Thanks to;** (And before I forget again, this section is for the people who passed their sympathies to Lateraina.)

Tetsukon


	4. Sirius

**WoM- **_**Back again** :D I** know a lot of people out there were really anticipating this one… It's actually kinda surprising how popular this story's becoming. Not that I'm upset about that, since it's a blast to write up… Back to the point, though, here's the long awaited fourth chapter for everyone who was so patient with me!** (And a number of not-so-patient people as well…) **Enjoy!**_

* * *

_"There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion."_

_**-Sir Francis Bacon**_

* * *

**Sirius **

"There you are… what took you so long?" Star frowned slightly as her best friend approached, arms crossed as she waited for Valerie's explination.

"Sorry, Star." Valerie sighed. "There was a line…" Star's eyebrow kicked up when she heard a strange tone in her friend's voice, almost like she was mad about something…

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked, concerned. She and Valerie had been best friends since middle school, after all, and there was no one in Casper High Star trusted more.

"Fine…" Valerie said vaguely, waving a hand to dismiss her friend's worries. "Just worried, I guess."

"About overtime at the Nasty Burger?" Star guessed, ignoring a group of kids who called out to her as they entered the cafeteria. "You really should say something to your boss, you know. I'm pretty sure child labor laws are still in effect…"

"No." Valerie responded, looking slightly guilty for a second. "Actually, about you."

Whatever answer Star was expecting, this most certainly wasn't it.

"Me?" She said, blinking at Valerie in shock. "What are you worried about me for, Val? I'm fine. Never better, actually…" It was the truth, too. Except for the nasty run ins with Paulina and Sam she'd been forced to suffer through, the whole day had been filled with people more or less worshipping her every move.

Boys were flirting with her left and right now (Though attentively, as if afraid that Danny Phantom would pop in out of nowhere and beat them to a bloody pulp.) and in the last three hours alone she'd been invited to twelve different parties. Not to mention that she was more or less showered with constant gifts and praise from people she'd never even spoken to before who wanted to meet Danny Phantom…

As far as Star was concerned, she was in heaven.

"It's just… I don't think you should be seeing that ghost, Star." Valerie said, spitting out the word 'ghost' like it was a curse on mankind. Star's jaw dropped at that.

"What?" She said. "Are you insane? No way am I breaking things off!" At least not until Paulina got a healthy dose of payback… and maybe after all the glamour had worn off and people lost interest in her or something…

"Think about it, Star." Valerie said, sounding exasperated. "That ghost is dangerous! If you go through with this, he could really hurt you!" Star was a little surprised at the tone of fear working it's way into Valerie's voice. After all, Valerie was never afraid of anything…

"I'm fine, Val." Star repeated stubbornly. "And I'm not dumping Phantom! I mean, people love me now that I'm his girlfriend!"

"You don't need to be dating him for people to like you, Star!" Valerie snapped angrily. "I was your friend before you agreed to go out with that ecto-freak, and as your friend I'm telling you that you need to stay away from that ghost!"

"Why is this such a big deal to you?" Star demanded. She knew Valerie was Anti-Phantom, but this was just ridiculous.

"Because I don't want him to hurt you, Star!" Valerie growled out again, losing her temper. "Look, the ghost boy's smart, he knows humans well enough to act like he's a good ghost, but it's all an act! There's no such thing as good ghosts and if you let him get too close to you, you're going to find that out the hard way!"

"Whatever." Star snapped, turning away. "I'm going to hang out with Trisha for a bit. See you later, Valerie."

"Star—!" Too late, Valerie realized her friend had already left her. Sighing, the girl combed her fingers through her hair and bit her lip, trying to figure out her next move. Loath though she was to admit it, Danny Phantom was too powerful for her to win a head-on attack, and Star obviously wasn't going to listen to her warnings…

"Valerie?"

Jumping slightly, Valerie turned abruptly to tell the interruption off, but found the words dying on her tongue.

"D-Danny?" She said, going rigid. She cursed herself for not paying better attention to her surroundings, swallowing painfully as she met her friend's concerned blue eyes.

She'd worked painfully hard to avoid being caught with Danny alone. Partially because every time she was around him she felt lower then the ghost boy himself, and partially because there were few things in the world she hated more then feeling awkward, and being alone with Danny always made her painfully uncomfortable.

Besides, though she'd never admit it out loud, she was still harboring a serious crush on Danny. She wasn't exactly sure how he felt, since she was the one who'd stomped all over his heart and all, and she was honestly afraid to find out…

Danny didn't seem to share the sentiments, though. He approached her unwaveringly, his worry for Valerie apparently more important that any awkward feelings at being left alone with her.

"You okay Val?" He asked, hesitating slightly. Valerie sighed.

"Fine…" She lied, not wanting to unload her problems on Danny. It was her burden, after all, not his. That was why she'd broken things off in the first place… "I was just talking to Star about a couple of things is all…"

"Oh." Danny said, flinching slightly for some reason. "I'm guessing the talk didn't go all that well?"

"How could you tell?" Valerie asked dryly.

"Heard you two yelling when I was coming down the hall." Danny answered, sounding sheepish. "I couldn't hear what was being said, but—!"

"What is she thinking?" Valerie blurted out angrily, surprising Danny. "I mean, I know Star has self-esteem issues, but she could do so much better then that ghost!" Danny flinched at the venom put into that last word.

"I couldn't tell you, Val." Danny said, looking uncomfortable. A little firmer, he added. "But no matter what happens, I'm sure she'll be okay. I mean, you're her friend, and you obviously care about her…" Valerie smiled slightly at that as Danny shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, obviously trying to find the best way to word his thoughts. Valerie giggled slightly, reminded of why it was so easy for her to fall for him in the first place in that action alone…

"Thanks Danny." She said, smiling at the blue eyed boy. "I'll see you around, okay?"

Giving him one last wave, Valerie headed off on her own back into the cafeteria, feeling a little better after her talk with Danny…

_He's right._ She realized, taking her seat again at her table and watching Star argue with Trisha about whether or not it was possible to kiss a ghost. _Star is my friend… and I'm not going to let that creep hurt her, too._

* * *

"Alright, class dismissed. And don't forget to read pages 120-180! We're having a quiz on them tomorrow!" Sighing in relief, Star gathered her things and stood, ignoring the crowd surrounding her as she made her way out the door and to her locker.

She managed to keep the cool expression of smug indifference up as she worked her combination and got her things together, but her heart rammed painfully in her ribcage the entire time. All she could think about as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed to the front entrance of the school was her impending brush with one of her greatest fears of all time…

_Stay cool, Star…_ She told herself firmly. _Just get it over with quick… like pulling off a band-aid…_

"Well don't you look nervous…" Star scowled in annoyance at the singsong voice that interrupted her thoughts, turning to meet Paulina smirk with the coldest glare she could muster. "Scared about letting the everyone see me call your bluff?"

"What bluff?" Star responded, scoffing slightly. "You're the only person fooling yourself here, Paulina."

"Please." Paulina said with a laugh. "Like I said before Star, the ghost boy's too good for you."

"You say that like you actually know anything about him, Paulina." Star blinked in surprise, turning to see Valerie standing beside her with her arms crossed. "Funny, since you can count the number of times he's acknowledged your presence on one hand."

"Oh, like you really know him any better then that?" Paulina countered, looking agitated.

"I know enough to know that if he was really interested in you, he would've made a move already." Valerie smirked coldly at the cheerleader, who scowled in return.

"Whatever." Paulina scoffed. "We'll see about that soon enough…" Eyes narrowed, Valerie watched the girl's retreat before sighing and turning to Star with an apologetic smile. "Hey, I'm glad I caught you before you left. Look Star, I just wanted to say sorry for before. I didn't mean to make you mad or anything…" Star smiled slightly at the sincerity in her friend's tone. Granted, she wasn't actually sorry for what she'd said, but it was a start…

"It's cool." Star responded. "Thanks for helping me with her." Valerie laughed slightly as Star made a face at Paulina's retreating form.

"Trust me, Star, I'd never miss a chance to pick a fight with Paulina." The girl grinned, her green eyes dancing with amusement.

"Still…" Star sighed, running a hand through her hair. Wincing, the girl realized that she'd be alone with the cheerleader waiting for Danny to change and meet up with her, in which her former friend would probably try and take retribution for Valerie's defense.

And that was only if Sam didn't mob and stuff her in a janitor's closet first…

"Hey Val, do you think you could wait with me? Just until Phantom shows up." Valerie stiffened at her friend's question, a strange look passing her face.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Star…" Valerie said in a tight tone, which the blonde missed completely.

"Please, Val?" She pleaded to the other girl. "I really don't want to be alone with Paulina right now… I promise it'll only take like, two minutes tops." Faltering under her friends unwavering beseeching gaze, Valerie finally sighed, her shoulder's sagging in defeat.

"Alright." She groaned. "But just this once!" Squealing slightly, Star hugged Valerie enthusiastically.

"Thanks Val!" She gushed. "You're the best!" grumbling to herself, Valerie didn't respond to that as she followed her friend out of the building.

_So much for heading the ghost off before he got to the school…_ she thought dryly. Shaking her head, the hunter dismissed her bitterness, reminding herself that she'd get plenty of other chances soon enough…

* * *

"Do you really have to go through with this?" Sam complained as Danny stuffed the last of his things into his book bag. "I mean, there's gotta be a better way to handle this mess!"

"Relax, Sam." Danny said absently. "It's no big deal, really."

"Totally." Tucker said in wry sarcasm. "I mean, who doesn't have to deal with being blackmailed into pretending to be a girl's boyfriend?"

"Would you guys stop it already?" Danny snapped out impatiently. "Look, unless one of you has an idea that doesn't involve kidnapping or murder, then there's nothing I can do but go along with Star's charade." Tucker flinched guiltily at that, but Sam opened her mouth to respond. "It can't involve hiring a mob to intimidate her, either." Looking a little sullen, Sam closed her mouth.

"Whatever, man." Tucker sighed. "Just… be careful, okay?" Danny was a little surprised at that, but softened a little when he saw how genuinely worried Sam and Tucker looked.

"Look, it's gonna be fine, okay?" Danny said softly. "It's just Star, guys. Everything considered, I could've been a lot worse off." The two didn't look entirely convinced, but let the subject drop. Shaking his head, Danny handed his backpack to Sam. "Here. Give this to Jazz for me, okay? It'll look weird if Danny Phantom shows up to pick up his so-called girlfriend wearing Danny Fenton's backpack." Biting her lip, Sam took the bag from her friend.

"Danny?" Sam called as the half ghost started to leave. "…Be careful, okay? I know its just Star, but with everything that's happened, I don't think we should underestimate anybody." Danny raised an eyebrow at that before flashing the goth a reassuring smile.

"It's cool, Sam." He said lightly. "I never said anything about underestimating her." Then, with one last wave to the two, Danny ducked into the bathroom, the bright, tell-tale flash of his transformation flickering through the cracks of the door moments later.

Going intangible, Danny floated easily through the ceiling, floating over the roof to allow himself to become tangible again before soaring to the edge to find his blonde classmate in the mess of students below him.

It didn't take long for him to find her, sanding near the flag pole with a large crow of students (and surprisingly enough, a few teachers) loitering around, watching the skies in anticipation. Wincing slightly, Danny couldn't help but groan to himself when he saw that not only Paulina standing with Star in the middle of the crowd (looking disdainful about the whole ordeal) but Valerie as well, arms crossed and extremely agitated.

_This promises to be fun…_ Danny thought sarcastically to himself. Rolling his eyes, Danny flew out over the crowd, ignoring the gasps and shouting from his classmates as he gracefully landed in front of Star.

He also opted to overlook Paulina's look of stunned horror, along with the scathing glare Valerie was sending him.

"Sorry I'm late." He said casually to the blonde, acting as if the entire school wasn't openly gaping at him. "Kinda got held up for a bit…"

_"Ghost boy?"_ Paulina sputtered out before Star could say a word. "Y-You really… but…!" Danny held back a wince as Paulina looked between him and Star (Who was starting to look entirely too pleased with herself) with wide, horrified eyes.

"Paulina." Star said in a bright tone that betrayed her delight. "I believe you've already met my _boyfriend_, Danny Phantom. Phantom, this is Paulina, a girl I know from school." Danny flashed Paulina a weak grin, which she missed entirely in her dismay. "And this is Valerie, my best friend."

_Someone up there's laughing at me right now, I know it…_ Danny told himself sourly as he forced a grin for Valerie, who still looked ready to punch him at any given moment.

"Nice to meet you." He said lightly.

"I'm sure it is." Valerie responded, ice dripping from every syllable. Danny laughed sheepishly as the ghost hunter glared daggers at him, Star looking between the two in confusion.

_Okay, that's weird._ She thought, shooting Danny a quizzical look. Catching it, the ghost boy cleared his throat and extended a gloved hand towards Star.

"Anyways, we should probably be going now, right Star?" flashing the boy a dazzling smile, Star took his hand at once.

"Of course, Phantom!" She said sweetly, squeaking in surprise when Danny lifted her easily into her arms. Blushing, Star suddenly found it hard to believe that this was the same guy who barely passed his presidential fitness exam.

That thought was left grounded when Danny quite suddenly took to the air.

Biting her lip painfully to keep from screaming, Star fastened her arms around Danny's shoulders while at the same time trying not to make her fear too obvious to the many, many students still watching them. Trying to control her breathing as much as possible, Star reminded herself not to look down, promptly did so, and cursed herself vividly for it until she and Danny had flown a good distance from the school to a more secluded area.

Seeing that there was no one else around she needed to impress, Star immediately began thrashing around violently.

_"Put me down, put me down, put me dow-how-hown!"_ Yelping at the girl's sudden mood swing, Danny struggled to keep his grip on Star as she continued to fight for her freedom.

"Easy!" He shouted, obviously surprised as he brought them back to earth as quickly as he could. "Calm down Star!"

"Don't you _dare _drop me, Fenton!" She screeched out, glaring at Danny pointedly.

"I won't if you stop being difficult!" Danny snapped back. Finally landing, Danny let his blonde classmate go, raising an eyebrow as she sank to her knees in relief. "…I take it you're scared of heights?" He asked dryly, crossing his arms. Blushing slightly, Star rose and glared at the boy.

"Of course not!" She said stiffly. "What gave you that idea?"

Danny's dry look became even more pointed, making Star blush.

"Okay." She admitted begrudgingly. "Maybe a little." Sighing, Danny shook his head.

"Okay then…" He said slowly. "Why did you make me fly you home if you're scared of heights?"

"Because it made Paulina jealous." Star answered haughtily. "I mean did you see the look on her face back there?" Frowning slightly, Danny gave Star a cool look.

"Yeah." He answered in a tone he'd picked up by spending too much time around Clockwork. "it looked like her heart was breaking."

"Exactly!" Star said brightly, missing Danny's point entirely.

Shaking his head, the boy raised his eyes to the heavens and wondered why it was that he bothered.

_She just doesn't get it…_ He thought sadly to himself, shooting Star a searching look as she straightened her hair and clothes up. _Maybe it's because she hasn't been through enough, but—_

"Hey, Fenton? Is anything going on between you and Valerie?" Star asked curiously, breaking the boy from his thoughts. Startled, Danny didn't catch her question at first, but when it finally clicked he couldn't stop a blush from staining his cheeks.

"It's complicated." He said evenly, only making Star more curious.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She pressed before something seemed to click in her mind and she groaned. "Oh, I get it. You still like her, don't you?" Uncomfortable, Danny didn't meet the girl's eyes as he offered a shrug in response to her question.

In reality, his crush on Valerie had ebbed away quite a bit since the nasty incident with Technus. He still didn't completely consider himself 'over' her, but he had slowly grown to accept that things could've never worked out between them anyways.

"How did you get your powers in the first place?" Star pressed as the two began to walk down the sidewalk. Well, Star walked. Danny floated next to her.

"Lab accident, just after school started up." Was Danny's response, coupled with a sigh. "I tried to check out my parent's Ghost Portal— which they swore wasn't working in the first place— and next thing I know I'm a half ghost freak with a whole new mess of problems." Star frowned thoughtfully at his words.

Thinking back, she did remember hearing something about Danny getting into an accident earlier that year in his parent's lab. He'd been so skittish for such a long time afterwards, and Sam and Tucker were suddenly sticking with him all the time, looking just as worried as he did.

She remembered joking about the accident with her friends, too. Dash has made some sort of comment about how maybe the shock had made Danny into even more of a freak then he was before, and Paulina had rolled her eyes and accused Dash of watching way too many cartoons.

Looking back, it took everything Star had not to laugh at the irony.

"Why didn't you tell your parents?" Star asked instead. Danny scoffed at the question.

"Are you kidding?" He asked incredulously. "Those first few months, all mom and dad would talk about was how great it would be if they could finally catch a ghost and rip it apart molecule by molecule. I figured if they knew what I was, I'd be the first one under the scalpel." Star winced there, seeing his point. "By the time I found out that they'd never do that to me, I also figured things are easier with them not knowing. I _will_ tell them someday, I know that, but I want that day to be after everything else gets settled. The ghost, Plasmius… I want to deal with all of that first."

"…Plasmius?"

"Long story. Really, _really_ don't ask." Sighing, Star rolled her eyes slightly before shooting the boy a curious look. She'd always known he was strange… almost everyone could feel it just being around him… but she'd never realized the extent of his oddness until just now.

"Well, that made you decide to do the whole superhero thing?" Star asked out loud.

"Somebody had you." Danny responded shrugging. "I had the power to protect people."

"Or hurt them." Star blurted out without thinking. Danny got a strange look on his face there.

"…Or hurt them." He agreed softly. "But I've seen what a life of hurting people gets a person, and that's not the life I want." Star looked at him curiously there, but before she could comment on that statement Danny shivered violently, a jet of blue mist snaking it's way out of the boy's mouth. The boy sighed and glanced off into the distance where Star could see some strange ghost flying around. "Sorry, but I've gotta take care of this. Later, Star!" and, after flashing his classmate a small smile and a wave, Danny took off after the ghost. Watching him go, Star shook her head before continuing on her way.

Oh yeah, Danny Fenton was weird alright…

* * *

**WoM-** _**That's all for now!** 'giggles' **I had a lot of fun with this chapter… and it tickles me that the Danny/Star pairing is actually starting to get a following.** 'giggles even more' **Anyways, next update for this story comes after I update FomS, and my update next update is Ghost Town, so stay tuned, people!**_

* * *

**Thanks to;**

SilverstarsEbonyskies, Knowledge in the Hollow Noggin ,blackkaosrose, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, Bunny Bubble, XxMidnightWolfxX, raidan, TaylorTheWeird, fan-girls2.0, Epona Harper, Rikku AppL.E, epobbp, Wingg-ed Wolf, iloveJesusJohnnyandDanny, Dull Curtains, L'ange-Sans-Ailes, SquirrelGirl13, Invader Johnny, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, ectoenergy, Sparky the Wonder Weasel, Phantom of a Rose, Gmasangel, conan98002, Nobody Famous, Kenna, BugzAttack, PotterPhan21, acosta perez jose ramiro, Kirstyn.T, Redwind, Lumias, Warrior of winds, JosephineInLove, ilikedan, Horselvr4evr123, ghostdolly, phantomshadowdragon, sylenis, BadCatGirl, deadzonedragon, trent, Rachelle Ryan, Starlight Rain, Keimei, Twisted Creampuff, Balkoth, J.J. Banks, dAnnYsGiRl777, animegurl088, Zizzo, Sapphire Wolf Master, WolfDaughter, Almighty God of Paper, Curious G-Demorial, Shenhua Phantom, Ice's Shadow, StarPhantom, Hiei's Cute Girl, Nonasuki-chan, Hunter Hatake and Roxxi Uchiha, Kitsune6, Knowledge in the Hollow Noggin , raidan, Dull Curtains, ectoenergy, Kenna, deadzonedragon, trent, Keimei, WolfDaughter, Curious G-Demorial, Hunter Hatake and Roxxi Uchiha,


	5. Asteroids

**WoM- _Man, a lot of people were really anticipating this one… which flatters me more then I can even begin to tell you guys. 'giggles' Never fear, people, Wings comes bearing a new chapter and very good news! For those of you who didn't already hear on DA, Bentencreatives will be turning this story into a comic. I've very excited about it, and promised to update more frequently to provide more material. So, without further ado, here's Chapter Five!_**

* * *

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science."

_**-Albert Einstein**_

* * *

**Asteroids**

If there was one thing Star took great pride in, it was knowing her strengths and weaknesses as a person. For example, her best sport was bowling, with an average of 165, her best features were her long legs and gorgeous blonde hair, her best subjects were math and history and she had an uncanny ability for reading other people and knowing exactly what was necessary for her to earn their favor.

Her weaknesses she always kept a closely guarded secret, unwilling to allow other people to exploit them like she herself had made a habit of exploiting others to gain popularity. One of those, unfortunately, was the fact that it took her an hour after waking up to fully enter the world of the conscious, no matter how much sleep she'd gotten the night before.

"Good morning, Star." Her mother said absently as the blonde stumbled over to the table. Star always rose two hours before school started, to avoid making a fool of herself in one of her usual morning stupors in front of her classmates. "Pancakes and sausage?"

Star grunted in response and she slumped over the table, which the older woman translated as a confirmation. Turning away from the stove for a moment as the food cooked, the blonde woman suppressed a smile at the sight of her bedraggled daughter, with her devilish hair sticking out at odd angles and her baby blue nightgown with white teddy bears. (Star always put off changing until after she'd woken up. Otherwise she ended up with two different colored socks and an outfit that clashed horribly.)

Unlike the teen, Rita Connors was in a very good mood this morning. One of the doctors she worked for had offered to take her to dinner that weekend, and she was really looking forward to it. Besides, she always enjoyed making large breakfasts for her kids before sitting down to read the paper and sipping at her coffee.

Speaking of which…

"Star, can you go get the paper for me?" Mrs. Connors asked absently as she flipped the pancakes. A soft groan and the scratching of wooden chair against linoleum greeted this request, and Mrs. Connors had to smile in spite of herself. Star was always more susceptible to obey commands without complaining early in the morning, which Mrs. Connors made sure to take full advantage of while it lasted.

As the teen in question trudged obediently towards the front door, her mind was blissfully blank, save for the memory of the dream she'd been treated to not hours earlier. The details were slowly slipping through her fingers, but it had something to do with Danny and a talking fox that sounded suspiciously like Paulina. And cookies. There were lots and lots of cookies, for some reason. The ones with little bits of peanut butter too, which were Star's favorite. Now the blonde was hungry…

Opening the front door, Star vaguely wondered what all the yelling was about before flashes started going off violently in front of her eyes, startling her into consciousness. And just like that, Star was shocked into a totally new stupor by the sight in front of her.

_"Miss Connors, how long have you known the Ghost Boy?"_

_"Do you intend to respond to Mayor Vlad's summons to see him when he's made it clear that he believes your boyfriend doesn't belong in AMITY Park?"_

_"Miss Connors, has Danny Phantom taken you into the Ghost Zone?"_

_"Do you know how the Ghost Boy died?"_

_"Why is he here in our world fighting his own kind?"_

_"Miss Connors, what do you have to say to the citizens of Amity Park who doubt the Ghost Boy's intentions?"_

_"How 'bout a smile, Miss Connors?"_

Star gaped in shock, trying unsuccessfully to see through the bright flashes going off in her face and process all the questions being shouted at her by the hoard of reporters camping right outside her front door.

Shock turned to horror in an instant though, when Star realized they were all taking pictures of her in her nightgown.

"KYYYYAAAAAAHHHH!" Star screamed, slamming the door shut and leaning against it heavily as she blinked against the black and white splotches that dominated her vision. Her cheeks flushed violently when she realized the reporters were still shouting, apparently undeterred by the blonde's reaction.

"Star?" Baffled, Mrs. Connors came into the room, her eyes widening when she saw the reporters through the window as Hector and Callie came down the stairs, yawning loudly and clearly annoyed by the loud noises so early in the morning. "What on earth… _Is that the Channel Four news van_?" Turning back to her oldest child, Mrs. Connors frowned suspiciously. "Star, what's going on?" Having finally rid herself of the annoying splotches, Star grinned sheepishly at her mother's question.

"Heh… funny you should ask that…"

* * *

"No way!" Star cringed as Hector vocalized the disbelief written on her entire family's faces. "Why the heck would someone as cool as Danny Phantom date someone as whiney and annoying as you?"

The teen's eye twitched at that.

After getting over the morning's activities, Star had gone upstairs to fix her hair and clothes before coming back down for breakfast and to explain to her family why a small army of cameramen were currently in the process of destroying her mother's petunias.

"Hector." Mrs. Connors warned her son without taking her eyes off of Star, though her shock was fading away into confusion and parental disapproval. "And just when were you planning on letting me know about this, young lady?"

"I wasn't keeping it from you on purpose!" Star protested honestly. She's completely forgotten to include her family in her scheme, too wrapped up in getting back at Paulina and becoming the coolest girl in school.

"Then how on earth do all those reporters know?" Mrs. Connors asked with narrowed eyes. As if reading her daughter's thoughts, she added, "It's more important for you to tell your friends who you're seeing then your own mother? Is that it, Star?" Star blushed, seeing her mother's point.

"Well…"

"Uh, mom?" Callie cut in attentively, her eyes glued to the TV sitting on the kitchen counter. "You might wanna see this…" Alarmed, both Star and her mother turned their attention to the screen, which was turned to Channel 4 Action News. Star frowned at the screenshot of Danny that was floating next to Tiffany Snow as she rattled off her report with more enthusiasm then she probably truly felt.

_"Amity Park's own ghostly good-doer Danny Phantom managed to surprise the town in a completely new way yesterday afternoon, by confirming rumors that he was dating a human girl. Star Connors, a Junior at Casper High and a member of the cheer squad, was seen being picked up at school by her supposed boyfriend shortly before the attack on the Amity Observational Center warranted his attention. _

_"The incident was witnessed and verified by many Casper High faculty members and students, who also claim that Phantom will be escorting Miss Connors to the Annual Amity Gala. Channel Four sent Lance Thunder to Miss Connor's house to get further insight on the story, but unfortunately Miss Connors refused to give the cameramen a comment."_ (Here Star shrieked in horror when a quick shot of her in her nightgown slamming the door was shown.) _"But Mayor Vlad had this to say upon hearing about this strange new relationship;"_

_"While I'm fully supportive of young love kept appropriately in check, I cannot bring myself to approve of a ghost as dangerous as Danny Phantom taking advantage of one of our city's precious youths."_ The billionaire said sternly into the cameras._ "The Ghost Child has put Amity Park in danger far more times then can be counted, and should he be allowed to date this poor naïve girl, the chances of this defenseless child being put in harms way will increase substantially. For this reason, I propose a law passed forbidding relationships between ghosts and humans."_

"…**_WHAAAT_**?" Star screeched, jumping to her feet in anger.

_"This law will protect the children of Amity Park, who are to young and impressionable to realize how dangerous that spirits like Danny Phantom truly are."_ Vlad continued, oblivious to the teenager's rage. _"I'm sure the parents of Amity Park will agree with me, and pass this law into effect at our next town meeting this Friday."_

"He can't do that!" Star protested hotly.

_That's the day before the Gala!_ Star added in her head, furious.

"The nerve of that man!" Mrs. Connors snapped, glowering at Vlad's face in contempt. "Thinking he can tell me how to raise my child… Honestly, what I was thinking when I voted him into office, I don't have a clue!"

"Mom, you have to stop him!" Star begged, clutching at her mother's sleeve.

"I'll consider it after you tell me why I had to learn about your love life this way instead of hearing it from you." Mrs. Connors said, her hands on her hips as she glowered at her oldest daughter. Star cringed and mentally cursed for forgetting to tell her mom about the whole Phantom thing.

"…Umm…"

"Star, are you alright?" Star and her family jumped in union at the new voice, all attention snapping to the ghost boy who'd just made himself visible after phasing through the kitchen ceiling, concern written clearly on his face. "I saw the news this morning and wanted to check--!" whatever else the boy was going to say was cut off by a loud squealing noise Star would've never thought her brother capable of producing.

"You're Danny Phantom!" Hector said excitedly, pointing at Danny (who blinked back in alarm). "You're _the_ Danny Phantom! And you're in my kitchen! In my house! COOL!"

Here Danny shot Star a look that showed his concern for her brother's sanity as the blonde groaned and buried her head in her hands, cringing slightly when she chanced a glance through her fingers and saw her mom studying her classmate with a carefully masked expression.

"Is this a bad time?" Danny asked meekly, obviously realizing he was interrupting something.

"Not at all… ah… Phantom?" Mrs. Connors said uncertainly before turning to eyeball her daughter. "Star was just about to tell me whatever outrageous excuse she cooked up for not telling me about your… relationship with her when it first formed." Star withered a little at her mom's tone.

_Oh I am soooo grounded for this…_ She thought miserably as she tried desperately to think of something, missing the way Danny looked between her and her mom in concern.

"Umm…" Star started with a nervous laugh. "Heh… You see…"

"It was my fault, Mrs. Connors." Danny broke in, landing next to Star. Both women faltered at that, turning to stare at the ghost boy.

"It was?" Mrs. Connors asked, clearly baffled.

_Eh?_ Star thought at the same time, even more confused then her mother.

"Yeah, I wanted to be there to meet you in person when Star told you about… us." Danny said with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I was worried that you wouldn't approve of your daughter dating a ghost, so I asked her to wait so I could be there when she told you, but with so many ghost attacks lately, there wasn't really time to sit down and talk. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner." Star's shock turned to amazement and glee when her mother's expression softened.

_If my entire family wasn't right in front of us right now, I'd totally kiss him for that._ Star though appreciatively, shooting Danny a grateful look that he didn't notice, too busy watching Star's mother.

"Yes, well I suppose that makes sense…" Mrs. Connors said, studying the boy once more. "Apology accepted, Phantom."

"So you're really dating my sister?" Hector asked Danny in a hero-worshipy tone. Star frowned at the question, but it went largely unnoticed.

"Guess so." Danny chuckled, apparently amused now that the boy wasn't babbling anymore. Hector made a face at that.

"Well, I guess even the coolest guys can have bad taste in girls…"

It took all of the blonde's self control not to lunge at the boy for that comment. The warning glare from her mother helped, too. Upsetting her right after getting into trouble over something else wasn't going to win Star any points.

"Anyways, I just came by to see if Star was ready to go to school." Danny said, clearing his throat and forcing back a smile. (Which Star noticed anyways, and silently vowed redemption for.) "Considering that it's my fault you're got reporters all over your front lawn and all, I figured I should help you guys get outta here without them bothering you."

"How?" Star asked, confused. Then realization hit her and the girl moaned pitifully. "Oh, no… please, please no…"

* * *

_Happy thoughts Star, happy thoughts!_ The blonde chanted over and over again, burying her head further into the crook of Danny's neck. Her eyes were shut painfully tight to avoid the temptation of looking down again, which prevented her from noticing the vivid blush spreading across Danny's cheeks at the girl's actions. _I'm not twenty feet above the cement in the arms of a boy who is frequently attacked hard enough to send him pile driving through solid brick walls. I'm… in the ocean! Yeah, I'm in the ocean swimming with dolphins! Lots and lots of really friendly bottle-nosed dolphins… Wait a second, that one's a shark!_

"_Star_!" Danny's choked gasp brought the blonde back to reality, belatedly realizing that she had a vice grip on the ghost boy's neck, and was pressed as close to the green-eyed youth as humanly possible.

_…Oops._ Loosening her grip ever so slightly, Star took a deep breath and kept her eyes fixed on Danny's face.

"How much further until we get there?" She asked, hating how weak and shaky her voice sounded.

"We're almost there now." Danny replied in a soothing tone, smiling weakly at Star. "Sorry about all this, by the way. I should have remembered to warn you about the reporter thing yesterday, but I had other things on my mind and… well…" Star blinked at Danny in surprise, momentarily forgetting the whole height thing as she tried to comprehend the fact that the boy she was blackmailing was apologizing to her. And meant every word of it. As if flying her and her family to their required destinations wasn't enough, apparently…

Speaking of which, that duplication trick was really cool in a creepy, bizarre kind of way she didn't want to think too hard about.

"It's fine." Star sighed, shifting around nervously. "I'll deal with it after school… That and the whole thing with Mayor Vlad. Thanks for helping me out with my mom, by the way."

"No problem." Danny responded absently. "It was the least I could do, since the reporter thing is all my fault. Besides, I know how parents can be and I figured-- Wait a second, what about Vlad?" Startled at the sharp change of subject, (and confused at how much more severely Danny treated the second one.) Star blinked a couple of times before replying in an uncertain tone.

"Mayor Vlad was on the news today, talking about you and me. He was going on with a lot of junk about how ghosts shouldn't be dating humans and trying to pass some bogus law so that we'd have to 'break up.' Totally a load of trash…" Star frowned, unnerved at how upset this statement seemed to make Danny.

"That lying, hypocritical scumbag of a crazed up creepy fruitloop!" Danny snarled out, his grip on Star tightening enough to make the cheerleader jump. "I can't believe he'd have the nerve to pull something like that when he's had his sleazy eye on Mom since before I was born!"

_Huh?_ Completely lost, Star could only watch fearfully as an array of violent emotions flashed in Danny's eyes. After seeing Danny so easy going and compliant to her whim for the past few days, the change this news brought up was intimidating to say the least…

"Danny?" Star said cautiously, tugging on his hazmat. "What are you talking about? And what's your mom got to do with anything?" The murderous fury cooled as Danny remembered the girl in his arms, flinching guiltily for a moment when he realized how badly he'd lost it.

"Umm, nothing." Danny said, adverting his eyes in shame. "It's just that Vlad's a bit of a sore spot for me. Nothing you need to worry about…" Star didn't look convinced, and was about to press the subject more when Danny's posture straightened, and he began to descend to land on the sidewalk in front of their school, ignoring the whispers of passing students. "Anyways, here we are." Star felt surprised as Danny set her down, having completely forgotten she was airborne in her confusion over Danny's reaction to the mayor's decree. "Catch you later, okay Star?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure thing!" Star said, smiling brightly and waving as Danny took flight again, most likely to transform into Fenton and meet up with the goth and the geek. Sighing, Star's gaze lingered on Danny for just a moment longer before she turned and started towards the school ignoring the students trying to get her attention as she tried to figure out exactly why Danny hated Vlad Masters so much…

* * *

"Well look who finally woke up!" Paulina voice sang loudly as she smirked down at the very annoyed blonde in the desk behind hers, waving a piece of paper around for Star to see. "Too bad, that nightie you were wearing was so cute… kinda reminded me of one I used to wear in the third grade." Star's face flushed violently as students around her chocked back their laughter at the girl's expense, and the cheerleader noted sourly that the paper Paulina was showing off to the entire class was a print out depicting her oh-so-embarrassing photo shoot that morning.

"You think?" Star said sweetly, smiling back at Paulina coldly. "I'm happy to hear you liked it so much, Paulina… Phantom certainly thinks it's cute." Paulina's smirk fell at that, and her gaze became far colder as she assessed the blonde.

"Oh really?" Paulina sniffed cruelly. "Is that how you got him to go out with you? Really Star, if I'd known you were so easy, I never would have let you come within three feet of me." Star gasped at that, jumping angrily to her feet.

"Like your one to talk." A voice behind both girls scoffed, drawing their attention to the back of the room were Sam was watching the exchange in disgust. "Don't even pretend you wouldn't use every dirty trick in the book to get Danny Phantom all to yourself, Paulina. Which, apparently, includes being a jealous snob to the girl who is dating him." Paulina scowled at the goth, while Star merely blinked in surprise. "Besides, I think Danny Phantom's a lot more considerate then that…" Paulina blushed at that, unable to contest the girl's statement without suggesting that her hero was less then a perfect gentlemen.

_So she's not defending me after all._ Star thought ruefully, her surprise fading as realization sunk in. _She's just looking out for Danny's reputation… I should've guessed…_

"No one asked you, loser." Paulina snapped at Sam before turning her attention back to Star. "Quite a popular one now, aren't you? I mean, first Valerie had to stand up for you yesterday, and now the freak is defending you today? How can someone who can't even fight their own battles ever expect to keep up with someone like Danny Phantom?"

"I didn't ask her to defend me." Star snapped, scowling at Sam for making things worse. The goth merely rolled her eyes and went back to ignoring the fight now that Danny's virtue was no longer in question. "And I don't need other people fighting my own battles. Besides, what about you, Miss Damsel in Distress? You talk big, but when it comes down to it you're even worse then I am! I mean how many times has Phantom had to save you?"

"Oh right!" Paulina scoffed in turn. "Let's not forget who it was that talked Phantom into dating her after she was attacked by a ghost!" Before Star could respond to that, the door opened and Ms Testlaff strolled over to her desk.

"Good morning, class. Open your textbooks to page 136. Connors, Sanchez, in your seats." After glowering at each other once more, the girls obeyed the burly woman and reached for their books as the bell rang. Moments later the door burst open again, and a panting Danny Fenton stumbled into the room.

"Late again, Fenton." Ms Testlaff said dryly, glaring at the boy. The rest of the class openly snickered, making the blue-eyed boy blush.

"Sorry, Ms Testlaff" Danny said, straightening up. "I overslept… forgot to set my alarm clock." Star rolled her eyes at the excuse, her vantage point giving her a clear view of the thermos the teen was hiding behind his back.

"Well then, maybe a detention will help with your little memory problem." Ms Testlaff countered sternly. "My classroom after school today, Fenton. And no excuses this time." Danny flinched before sighing obediently.

"Yes, Ms Testlaff." He said tonelessly, making his way to the back of the room to join his friends. Star frowned as the boy passed her, watching him until he'd taken his seat.

_I guess no good deed goes unpunished around here…_ Star thought dryly, wondering why Danny let the teacher humiliate him like that. If it was her with the ghost powers, she'd make sure payback was top priority after being treated like that…

"Now then, as I was saying--" Ms Testlaff's chalk had barely touched the board when a knock on the door interrupted her yet again, and she turned to face this new visitor with a vaguely annoyed expression.

Which deepened when two men clad in identical white suits entered.

"Is Star Connors in this class?" One of the men asked curtly, not even bothering to apologize for interrupting the lecture.

"Yes?" Star replied uncertainly, looking between the two large men with a wary eye. Like many citizens of Amity Park, Star was only too aware of the comings and goings of the Guys in White, and something told her this wasn't a social call.

"We're going to need you to step outside with us, Miss." The Second agent said, gripping Star by the upper arm to haul her to her feet before forcibly leading her out the door.

"We're in the middle of class." Ms Testlaff snapped, stopping the men (Much to Star's relief.) "Can't this wait until--"

"This is a matter of public safety." The first agent said in a curt tone. "Miss Connors will be returned to you after she's finished answering our questions to our satisfaction."

Her stomach dropping, Star turned to lock eyes with Danny as the agents continued to herd her out the door. His attention was focused completely on the three of them, alarm and concern clear in his expression. She only saw a glimpse of it though, before the door was shut soundly behind the last agent to leave the room. The cheerleader then found herself being half dragged to an empty classroom (which doubled as an office for the agents whenever they took an interest in Casper High for whatever ghost-related reasons).

Star had never gone into the room before, and as the two agents pushed her roughly into the room, she could honestly say that she never wanted to set foot into it again. The entire room was unlit, the walls white and the blinds drawn to block out prying eyes. The only furniture in the room was a plastic orange chair seated across from a wooden desk, where another GiW agent waited patently, this one decorated with enough medals and badges to tell Star he outranked the two that were currently manhandling her.

"Miss Connors, I presume?" The waiting agent asked as the three entered and Star was forced into the uncomfortable plastic chair, the two agents that'd more or less kidnapped her taking up military stances on either side of her. "I believe you know why you're here…"

"Not exactly." Star responded, trying to glare at the man. It wasn't very affective though, since the blonde was shaking uncontrollably with fear.

"Very well then, I'll explain it to you." The agent said, folding his hands over the desk. "We have some… concerns over your relationship with the ghost menace known as Danny Phantom. Supposedly, he is your boyfriend?"

"That's right." Star said defiantly. "What's it to you, anyways?"

"Anything involving ghosts concerns us and Mayor Vlad greatly, Miss Connors, especially a ghost as dangerous as the one that you're seeing." The agent explained smoothing, his eyes piercing into the smaller form in front of him.

"If you're trying to get me to break up with him, then it won't work." Star said defiantly. "Vlad Masters is insane if he thinks he can tell me who I can and cannot date. He's not my father."

"We don't care about that, Miss Connors." The agent said dismissively. "What we're interested in is information about the Ghost Boy." Star's eyebrows drew together in confusion at that.

"Information?" She repeated.

"We want you to tell us everything you know about Danny Phantom." The agent clarified for the girl. "All his hiding places, all his weaknesses, Anything you can remember that will help lead to his capture." Star gaped, stunned that this man thought he could get her to tell him such things.

"And just why should I help you, huh?" Star demanded, glaring at the man.

"For the common good, Miss Connors." The agent responded. "Whatever face he puts on when you see him, Danny Phantom can never change his true nature; A disgusting, vile ghost punk who's just as violent and unpredictable as other ghosts. He needs to be locked away where he can't do any more damage Miss Connors, and you can help us make sure that he is."

"He's not like that!" Star said as she started to stand, only to be stopped when the agents on either side of her gripped her shoulders and forced her back into the seat. Gritting her teeth, Star ignored them and concentrated on the man in front of her. "He doesn't even like to fight!"

"Is that what he told you?" The man asked, completely unperturbed by Star's outburst. "If it is, I can assure you that it's nothing but a pack of lies. He's trying to deceive you Miss Connors, get on your good side for some reason or another. I can assure you that he doesn't have any honest affection for you. And I can also tell you that no matter how harmless he seems, this is a creature that could kill you quite easily, one who's hiding his true intents and using you as a means to an end. Can you honestly say that there was never a time when you saw him get angry or hateful over something? That you never say his mask slip and reveal the monster underneath?"

Star's immediate thought after that question was of that morning, when Danny got so agitated after hearing the way Mayor Vlad was trying to butt into their 'relationship.' She pushed that aside though, and glowered at the man in front of her, trying to hide those treacherous thoughts to the best of her abilities.

"Danny Phantom isn't like that." Star repeated stubbornly, unwilling to admit defeat. "He's much more human then you're giving him credit for."

"He's a ghost." The agent said bluntly. "Ghosts and humans are completely different, and a relationship such as the one you're trying to pursue is destined to fail miserably. Save yourself the heartache and let us capture Danny Phantom and put him behind bars, where he belongs." Star was about to respond to that command with a three word response that was hardly flattering when the door burst open and another GiW agent came barreling in.

"Sergeant Marshall!" The agent said loudly. "There's a ghost flying around in the parking lot, sir! He's attacking our department's vehicles!" Without any further encouragement, the three agents bolted for the door, Sergeant Marshall pausing to turn and give Star one last look.

"I trust that you'll keep our discussion in mind, Miss Connors." He told her in a tone that was borderline threatening. "If you ever change you mind about giving us a hand, our doors are always open." And, without waiting for a comment from the girl, the agent took off after his subordinates. Huffing slightly, Star stick her tongue out in the direction the man had gone, feeling that was all the response the situation warranted.

"That's mature." A voice at her side said, making the blonde shriek and jump about a foot in the air, wheeling around to see an amused Danny Fenton appear leaning against the wall behind her with his arms crossed.

"How bout a little more warning when you're gonna appear like that?" Star snapped at him. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Studying the boy, Star frowned in confusion. "Wait a second… when did you get here?"

"Somewhere between Sergeant Marshall's rant about me being a putrid ghost that needs to be locked away and your attempt to attack him for saying that." Danny responded, a slight smile playing at his lips. Star's face flamed in response.

"Hey, don't get any funny ideas!" She said hastily. "I just don't want them locking you up before the Gala. Besides, we had a deal, right?"

"Right…" Danny sighed before walking over to the window to separate two of the blinds and peer out at the ghost hunters warring with some ghost who looked like he's fallen out of some mad scientist horror flick. "Speaking of deals, I'd better make sure Technus keeps his…"

"Technus?" Star repeated curiously. "Deal?"

"He was the ghost I caught earlier, the reason I was late for class." Danny explained, sounding faintly annoyed. "After the Guys in White dragged you out of class, I had Sam and Tucker cause a diversion so that I could get out of the classroom and cut a deal with Technus. I agreed to let him out and leave him alone for the rest of the day if he distracted the Guys in White for me and didn't try and take over the world again." Danny explained lightly, apparently satisfied that the ghost was keeping up to his end of the bargain enough to turn away from the window and fully concentrate on Star again. "Then I figured I should check on you to make sure the Guys in White weren't trying to play dirty again."

"Why should it matter?" Star asked. "I mean, they must not be very good ghost hunters, if they couldn't even tell you were in the room."

"I can control my levels of ectoplasm more then a full ghost can, and avoid setting off alarms even when I'm using my powers." Danny said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair as she smiles ruefully at his shoes. "Had to teach myself that trick so that I could walk through my parent's lab without being attacked by random objects." Star shifted, unsure what to say to that.

"Anyways." She cleared her throat, attempting to change the subject. "Now that those losers are out of the way, we can concentrate on what's really important…" Star smiled evilly as she said this, and Danny eyed her warily.

"And that would be…?" He trailed off, hoping against hope that Star wasn't going where he thought she was.

"Getting back at Paulina for what she said to me this morning." Star finished as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Danny sighed dejectedly, wondering for a moment exactly what Paulina has said this time to upset the blonde before deeming it unimportant.

"Well, considering that you've already given her the proverbial slap in the face, I don't see how you can make things much worse for her." He said tonelessly, completely uninterested in Star's petty game of revenge. The girl's evil grin darkened at that.

"Oh, I think I have a way…" she said sweetly, making Danny's stomach sink to the floor.

_Why don't I like the sound of that?_ He wondered sarcastically as he steeled himself for whatever scheme Star was going to force him into this time…

* * *

**WoM- _'Passes out' Well, I hope you guys appreciate this long chapter! Ah well, I got in Star's family, the Guys in White and more high school drama, and there's even a little Vladdy foreshadowing for next chapter. Which, as I said earlier, you can probably expect soon… Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to hibernate for the next three days now that I've finally gotten this plot bunny out in the open._**

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**Thanks to-**

SilverstarsEbonyskies, Knowledge in the Hollow Noggin, Blackkaosrose, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, Bunny Bubble, XxMidnightWolfxX, raidan, TaylorTheWeird, fan-girls2.0, Epona Harper, Rikku AppL.E, Epobbp, Wingg-ed Wolf, iloveJesusJohnnyandDanny, Dull Curtains, L'ange-Sans-Ailes, SquirrelGirl13, Invader Johnny, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Ectoenergy, d. Sparky the Wonder Weasel, Phantom of a Rose, Gmasangel, conan98002, Nobody Famous, Kenna, BugzAttack, PotterPhan21, acosta perez jose ramiro, Kirstyn.T, Redwind, Lumias, Warrior of winds, JosephineInLove, ilikedan, Horselvr4evr123, ghostdolly, phantomshadowdragon, sylenis, BadCatGirl, deadzonedragon, trent, Rachelle Ryan, Mew Aqua Spirit, Keimei, Twisted Creampuff, Balkoth, J.J. Banks, dAnnYsGiRl777, animegurl088, Zizzo, Sapphire Wolf Master, WolfDaughter, Almighty God of Paper, Curious G-Demorial, Shenhua Phantom, Ice's Shadow, Twinkle Phantom, Hiei's Cute Girl, Nonasuki-chan, Hunter Hatake and Roxxi Uchiha, Kitsune6, definenormalAB, Me-agaisnt-the-world, SquirrelGirl13, Boongdaba, Wanderer of Darkness, phantomshadowdragon, StarsOfTwilight, Arabic Blessing, Linda, StarPhantom, Catadmin, Linariel, WolfDaughter, acosta perez jose ramiro, Soni, Artemis's Arrow, PotterPhan21, Inumaru12, deadzonedragon, BarnOwl93, bluename, avatar2468, Butterfly.Kissses, firemuse, ken

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**Next Update;** Project AMITY Ch 1 (Oh quit giving me that look! Blame my DA commenters, they should know by now that I completely lack self control!)


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